CHINMAYANAND ACCUSER ARRESTED FOR ‘EXTORTION’

LUCKNOW: The 23-year-old law student, who accused former Union minister Chinmayanand of rape, was arrested from Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur on Wednesday in an extortion case that the politician filed against her, leading to her family and activists questioning the police action and alleging that the arrest was meant to weaken the case against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran.

A local court didn’t give her any immediate relief later in the day and scheduled her bail plea hearing for Thursday.

“The woman was arrested from her residence and taken to a hospital for medical examination. She was sent to judicial custody for 14 days,” said inspector general of police Naveen Arora, who heads the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case.

Chinmayanand, 72, was arrested last Friday but is currently in one of Lucknow’s top hospitals, where he is being treated for cardiac problems. He was also sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

Arora said the woman was arrested after “enough” digital and forensic evidence was found. “We have sufficient evidence that ₹5 crore extortion money was demanded from Chinmayanand,” he told reporters.

The student has been booked under sections 385 (putting a person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) 507 (criminal intimidation) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information) of the Indian Penal Code, added Arora.