Teenager poses as Amit Shah's son, extorts money from MLAs
What's the story
A 19-year-old man has been arrested for impersonating Union Home Minister Amit Shah's son Jay Shah. The accused, Priyanshu Pant, and his two accomplices allegedly tried to extort ₹5 lakh from Bharatiata Janata Party (BJP) MLA Adesh Chauhan. The trio reportedly wanted to fund their luxurious lifestyle through these extortion attempts. The incident came to light when Pant called Chauhan on Sunday evening, asking for money as a contribution to party funds.
Extortion details
Threats of defamation lead to police involvement
When Chauhan doubted the caller's identity, he was threatened with defamation on social media. After the threat, a case was registered at Bahadarabad police station under Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita. Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramod Singh Dobal confirmed Pant's arrest in Delhi on Monday evening. One accomplice, Uvesh Ahmed was arrested from Rudrapur while the third suspect, Gaurav Nath is absconding.
Investigation progress
Police track suspects using phone records and IMEI numbers
The police tracked the suspects by analyzing phone records and International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers. This resulted in multiple raids in Delhi and Ghaziabad before Pant was finally nabbed. The phone used for the extortion calls was also recovered from him. Meanwhile, Ahmed was nabbed from Rudrapur in Uttarakhand's Udham Singh Nagar district. The search for Nath continues as investigations proceed.
Past crimes
Previous extortion attempts by the group revealed
Per reports, this wasn't the first time Pant and his accomplices targeted politicians for extortion. They had earlier tried to extort money from Nainital MLA Sarita Arya and Rudrapur MLA Shiv Arora. The group promised ministerial positions in exchange for money, Dobal said. Due to these past attempts, they are now facing cases in Nainital and Rudrapur as well.