Rajasthan CM Gehlot’s son, 14 others booked for duping Nashik man

Vaibhav Gehlot, son of Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, and 14 others have been accused of defrauding a cityresident ₹6.8 crore on the pretext of landing him a contract with the state government, according to a first information report (FIR) registered by Nashik police.

Vaibhav Gehlot, son of Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, and 14 others have been accused of defrauding a cityresident ₹6.8 crore on the pretext of landing him a contract with the state government, according to a first information report (FIR) registered by Nashik police.

Vaibhav Gehlot, son of Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, and 14 others have been accused of defrauding a cityresident ₹6.8 crore.

Refuting the charges, Vaibhav Ghelot said he expects such “false FIRs” to be registered ahead of the Rajasthan assembly elections next year.

The complaint was filed after Sushil Bhalchandra Patil, 33, alleged he was duped of the amount between January 1, 2018, and January 1, 2020, after the accused told him that investing in the Rajasthan government’s e-toilet project under the tourism department would fetch good returns, officials familiar with the matter said.

“The accused took money worth ₹3.93 crores in their bank accounts, promising huge returns… they also took some amount as cash, aggregating to ₹6.80 crores. The accused cheated the complainant and failed in their promise to return the money,” said the FIR. HT has seen a copy.

Patil also alleged that Sachin Valera, a Congress party worker from Gujarat, in 2018 claimed to be close to chief minister Gehlot and said he managed all contracts given by the Rajasthan government.

“Valera asked me to become a partner in a private company dealing with government contracts. I invested ₹6.80 crores through that company. When the returns on my investment stopped, I started pestering them. A video call was arranged between me and Vaibhav Gehlot, where Gehlot assured me of returns to my investment,” Patil said in the FIR.

The complainant said he had initially approached police, seeking action against the accused, but no case was registered. He then approached a district court, seeking directions to file a complaint under section 156(3) of Indian Penal Code, which compels police to take action. Gangapur police in Maharashtra registered a FIR against 15 people.

“Sushil Patil has lodged the case and 15 people have been booked. One of the accused, Sachin Valera, had promised him good returns, claiming that he had good resources with the government and said that if the complainant invests, he can earn good profits. The case was lodged on March 17 after the court issued an order under section 156 (3) of the IPC,” police station in-charge Riyaz Shaikh said.

Countering the charges, Vaibhav Gehlot, who is also president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, said: “Assembly elections are due in 2023… such charges, baseless allegations and false FIRs will come. I came to know about this complaint lodged in Nasik through the media… I am not aware of any such thing or the basis on which it has been filed. They are making such baseless allegations but we will continue to work and serve the people, no matter how many false charges they make.”

The Rajasthan unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sought a clarification from the chief minister on the matter. “The name of the chief minister’s son is being heard in the news, the chief minister should clarify the situation. The people of Rajasthan are only trying to know the truth,” state BJP chief Satish Poonia tweeted.

Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Poonia alleged chief minister Gehlot had admitted to corruption in his government in the past.

“Now, the chief minister should clarify the allegations of corruption against his son because the people of Rajasthan want to know the truth,” he said.

“The allegation on the CM son Vaibhav of being involved in the e-toilet tender scam in Rajasthan is serious. Gehlot has to keep in mind that the matter has been registered at the behest of the court,” Union water resources minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat of the BJP tweeted.

Congress spokesperson RC Choudhary also termed the allegations against Vaibhav Gehlot as baseless, false, and politically-motivated to tarnish the image of the Congress party and its leaders. “Those who are making such allegations should first look at themselves, their Union minister is accused in a cooperative scam, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leaders are seen taking bribes from a private company,” he said.