Pappu Yadav, newly elected Bihar MP, booked in extortion case

Pappu Yadav reportedly summoned the businessman, who runs a furnishing business in Bihar's Purnea district, and asked him to “cough up ₹1 crore”.

Published on: Jun 11, 2024, 09:30:50 IST

By HT News Desk

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Newly elected MP from Bihar. Rajesh Ranjan, popularly known as Pappu Yadav, was booked on Monday for allegedly trying to extort money from a businessman. The incident took place on June 4, when the votes for the Lok Sabha election were being counted.

Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav won the Purnea LS seat as an Independent candidate (File Photo)

According to the police, Yadav summoned the businessman, who runs a furnishing business in Bihar's Purnea district, and asked him to “cough up ₹1 crore”, reported news agency PTI. Following this, the businessman filed a complaint and registered a case against the MP and his close aide Amit Yadav at the Muffasil police station.

Also read: ‘Don’t harass the poor’: Purnea MP Pappu Yadav warns bureaucrats, doctors

In the complaint, the businessman alleged that Pappu Yadav had earlier made similar demands in 2021 and 2023. The MP also threatened to “kill” the businessman if the demand was not met and warned him that he would have to “deal” with Yadav for the next five years, the police said.

Further investigation is underway.

Yadav, who has often been accused of strongarm tactics in his political career spanning over thirty years, was elected from the Purnea seat, which he wrested from two-term JD (U) MP Santosh Kushwaha by a margin of 23,847 votes. The independent candidate polled over 5.67 lakh votes, while the JD (U) nominee polled 5.43 lakh votes. Meanwhile, RJD candidate Bima Bharti, a JD(U) turncoat who had crossed over giving up her membership of the state assembly, finished third and ended up losing her deposit. She managed to bag only 27,120 votes.

Prior to becoming an MP, Yadav was the president of Jan Adhikar Party - which he formally merged with the Congress before the general election. However, he decided to contest the polls as an independent candidate following the grand old party's reluctance to enter into a "friendly fight" with ally RJD.

The Bihar MP is married to Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ranjit Ranjan.

With inputs from PTI

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