An FIR has been filed by Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, against an acquaintance, who she identified as a “designer” alleging that she tried to bribe her seeking intervention in a criminal case, reported The Indian Express.
According to the FIR registered at the Malabar Hill police station in Mumbai on February 20, the designer, identified as Aniksha, was in touch with Amruta Fadnavis for over 16 months and had visited her residence.
The FIR named Aniksha and her father as the two accused. In the FIR, Amruta stated that Aniksha allegedly offered to provide her information on some bookies through which they could earn money and then directly offered Rs 1 crore to get Aniksha’s father out of a police case.
Amruta further alleged that Aniksha was indirectly “threatening and conspiring” against her, along with her father.
Amruta in her FIR stated that she first met Aniksha in November 2021, who had claimed that after she lost her mother, she took care of the family.
Aniksha had introduced herself as a designer of clothes, jewellery and footwear, and had requested Amruta Fadnavis to wear products designed by her to help her promote her clothes. After their first meeting, Aniksha would either come to her home, at the official residence of the Deputy CM at Sagar Bungalow in Malabar Hills, or show up at public events.
In one meeting, Aniksha had allegedly told Amruta Fadnavis that her father had been giving information about bookies to the police. Amruta claimed that she had allowed Aniksha inside the vehicle, she was travelling in as she “didn’t want to create panic”.
“She (Aniksha) offered they can earn money by either instructing the police to take legal action against the bookies or they could also get money from them by not taking any action against them,” Amruta Fadnavis alleged in her statement to police.
But upon hearing the proposal, she asked Aniksha to step out of the vehicle. However, Aniksha got into another vehicle and trailed behind them.
The police statement further read that on February 16, Aniksha had contacted Amruta and after some preliminary discussion allegedly told her that Aniksha’s father was named as an accused in a case and offered Rs one crore to save him.
Amruta said she had disconnected the call after that conversation, and blocked her. However, Amruta received many messages and voice notes from an unknown number on her WhatsApp number, which she alleged belonged to Aniksha’s father, in her FIR.
Police have registered a case against the two under Section 120 (B) (conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 8 and 12 of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988. Section 8 relates to using corrupt and illegal means to “induce” a public servant, Section 12 is for abetment, according to the IE report.
Police have said no arrests have been made in the case so far.