4 offer cabinet berth to BJP MLA in exchange for ₹90 crore, arrested

The police said that the complaint was filed by the MLA’s personal secretary, who alleged that he received a call on July 17 around 12:12 from Riyaz.

Mumbai: The anti-extortion cell (AEC) of the Mumbai police crime branch arrested four people for allegedly attempting to defraud a BJP MLA by offering him a ministerial birth in chief minister Eknath Shinde’s cabinet on payment of ₹90 crore.

Suspecting foul play, the MLA alerted the AEC of the Mumbai crime branch. (Shutterstock)

The arrested persons are identified as Riyaz Allahbax Shaikh (57), a resident of Haatkanagale in Kolhapur district, Thane residents -- Yogesh Madhukar Kulkarni (57), Sagar Vikas Sangavai (37), and Zafar Ahmed Rashid Ahmed Usmani (53), from Nagpada area in Mumbai.

The police said that the complaint was filed by the MLA’s personal secretary, who alleged that he received a call on July 17 around 12:12 from Riyaz.

Riyaz said he had a meeting fixed with a senior politician in Delhi at 4 pm and he was trying to contact the MLA for his biodata, but the lawmaker was not taking his calls. The PA said he would ask the MLA and let him know.

Riyaz again called the complainant at 4:06 pm and said that he was back from Delhi and the MLA was still not picking up his phone, to which his secretary said that he would inform the MLA and get back to him.

The PA subsequently met the MLA at Oberoi Hotel in Nariman Point at 4:30 pm and informed him about calls from the accused.

MLA told the complainant that Riyaz had also called him on July 12 demanding ₹100 crore for a ministerial birth in the Shinde cabinet.

The lawmaker then asked his PA to call Jafar and Riyaz to the hotel to meet him.

Around 5:15 pm the same day, Riyaz met the MLA.

After the meeting, the MLA informed his secretary that Riyaz had demanded ₹100 crore for a ministerial birth and after negotiations reduced the amount to ₹90 crore. He also told the complainant that Riyaz would collect the first instalment of 20% amount ( ₹18 crore) the next morning.

Suspecting foul play, the MLA alerted the AEC of the Mumbai crime branch.

The MLA’s secretary later called Riyaz at 1:15 pm the next day near the LIC building at Nariman Point. After Riyaz reached the spot, he was taken to the Oberoi hotel where the police apprehended him. The MLA was also present at the hotel.

During interrogation, Riyaz revealed the name of the second accused - Yogesh Kulkarni, who had introduced him to Sagar Sangavai, who in turn had informed them that he knew a senior politician in Delhi, who will ensure a cabinet birth in the Shinde ministry for ₹50 to ₹60 crore. Kulkarni had, accordingly, collected the MLA’s biodata from Riyaz Shaikh and sent it to Sangavai on his WhatsApp.

Jafar’s name surfaced during Sangavai’s interrogation. The Nagpada resident, according to the plot, was said to be in direct contact with the senior politician and was supposed to use his clout to secure a ministerial birth for the MLA.

All four have been booked under sections 419 (cheating by personation) and 420 (cheating with dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code. They were produced before a metropolitan magistrate court and remanded to police custody till July 26.

Defence lawyer Ajay Dube, appearing for accused Riyaz Shaikh and Zafar Ahmed Rashid Ahmed Usmani, said sections 419 and 420 did not apply to the case as there was no valuable security involved in the entire episode.