A complaint has been lodged by a staffer of Maharashtra Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar against a resident of Mumbai’s Malad, Pradeep Bhalekar, alleging extortion, threats, and criminal intimidation. The incident was reported to the Malabar Hill police.
According to the complaint, the staffer, Yogesh Telikocharekar (42), claimed that Bhalekar, who became acquainted with Kesarkar two to three years ago, had been frequently demanding money from him. When the demands ceased, Bhalekar allegedly resorted to threats, stating that he would “expose their (Kesarkar and another minister’s) plan to bomb BJP leader Narayan Rane’s residence.”
The police acted promptly, registering the case on Saturday (July 15) under Sections 384 (extortion), 388 (extortion by threat of accusation of an offense punishable with death or imprisonment for life, etc), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
Following the registration of the case, Bhalekar was arrested and produced in court on Saturday. The court remanded him in police custody until Wednesday.
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According to the police, Bhalekar and Kesarkar became acquainted around two to three years ago, with the minister occasionally providing financial assistance ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 whenever Bhalekar requested it.
The complaint also stated that Kesarkar had assisted Bhalekar financially on various occasions to meet his family’s needs. However, approximately eight months ago, Bhalekar contacted the complainant, claiming to be in financial distress. The minister then provided him with Rs 5,000.
Subsequently, Bhalekar started making frequent calls to the complainant, seeking financial aid. Two weeks ago, Bhalekar allegedly demanded Rs 45,000. Telikocharekar informed him that he would inform Kesarkar about the request. In response, Bhalekar threatened to expose their alleged plan and take them to court if they did not comply with his demands.