作者： bharat.cn

A controversial businessman and the owner of a tabloid in Madhya Pradesh, wanted for the past seven months in over 40 cases, including rape and human trafficking, was arrested from neighbouring Gujarat on Sunday, the police said.
Jeetu Soni, who had a bounty of Rs 1.6 lakh in his name and cases including those of land grabbing, blackmailing, rape, extortion and fraud, was arrested from his native Amreli district of Gujarat, a senior police officer said.

Soni was an influential businessman who enjoyed political patronage from both the Congress and the BJP in the state and had considerable clout with senior police officers.

However, he had found himself without any political favours after his tabloid ran racy articles centred around a sex scandal that was busted in in September last year that involved senior advisors of Shivraj Singh Chouhan during his previous term as the chief minister which had jolted the political, bureaucratic and police circles of the state.

When the Congress government was in power in the state last year, a dance bar, two bungalows, a hotel and restaurant among other properties owned by Soni were also was raided by police and three of his properties were demolished.

Five women and a man were arrested in the racket for allegedly blackmailing several influential people using the sex tapes.

Earlier, the state police had seized more than 4,000 files from the laptops and mobile phones of the accused arrested in the case.

According to sources, the audio recordings, video clips, and screenshots of chats were used to allegedly blackmail bureaucrats, politicians, and businessmen in the state.

Jitendra alias Jitu Soni, 62, the owner of a tabloid accused of rape, blackmail, extortion, human trafficking, land grab, was arrested from Gujarat on Sunday after remaining on the run for seven months, the Madhya Pradesh police said.

Deputy inspector general Harinarayanchari Mishra said of the 64 criminal cases, Soni, an Indore resident, faces, 47 have been lodged over the last six months. He added a local court has remained Soni in police custody for interrogation.

Soni had been on the run since escaping during a police raid in December after Harbhajan Singh, an Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) engineer, filed a case against the tabloid owner for defaming him based on “unfounded conversation” and for trying to blackmail him.

The tabloid published a transcript of the engineer’s alleged conversation with certain women arrested on charges of luring, trapping, and blackmailing high-profile people in states like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It also carried transcripts of purported conversations of two other high-profile people, including a former minister.

Indore inspector general Vivek Sharma said six police teams carried out raids at several places to track Soni over the last six months. He added Soni was eventually arrested from his ancestral Dhargni village in Gujarat’s Amreli district when he was about to change his location.

Sharma said Soni kept moving from one place to another in Maharashtra and Gujarat. “He has had a criminal history since 1991.” He added there was a Rs 1.50 lakh reward for information leading to his arrest.

Sharma said Soni has primarily been arrested in connection with the case filed against him in December. “So far, Soni’s son, Amit Soni, and brother, Mahendra Soni, have been arrested. His other brother Hukum Soni, son Vikki Soni, nephews Jignesh Soni and Lucky Soni, four other members of his family, and 25 other accomplices are yet to be arrested.”

IMC and police razed Soni’s two bungalows in Indore and removed illegal structures at his two hotels and a cafe in December as part of an anti-encroachment drive. The demolition began on December 5 when police claimed to have rescued 67 women and several children from the hotel and arrested Amit Soni, his bouncer, and several members of their staff.

Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that India will win the battle against coronavirus, which has originated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, as well as the border standoff in Ladakh with China which escalated on June 15.

Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a commanding officer (CO), were killed in a fierce clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on June 15.

It was the biggest military confrontation in over five decades that significantly escalated the already volatile border standoff in the region.

Speaking to a news agency in an interview, Amit Shah said that he wants to assure the Indians that the country will both the battles under PM Modi’s leadership.

“Let me make this clear that we will win both the battles. I want to assure the people of India that under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership, India is going to win both the battles,” Amit Shah said.

Amit Shah also accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of playing into China and Pakistan’s hand by indulging in “anti-India” propaganda during a crisis.

Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s “Surender Modi” tweet, Amit Shah said, “We’re capable of handling anti-India propaganda but it’s painful when the former president of a big party [Rahul Gandhi] does ‘ochhi rajneeti’ during a crisis.”