Jharkhand BJP leader held for failing to repay loan

An opposition BJP leader in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district was arrested for alleged non-payment of a loan of Rs 58 lakh he had taken from a businessman, police said on Wednesday.

Tony Jain alias Manoj Jain, a former treasurer of the party's Hazaribag district unit, had taken the loan in 2018 but did not repay it after two years as per agreement and the lender lodged a complaint with the police.

Inspector-cum-officer-in-charge of Hazaribag Sadar police station, Ganesh Kumar Singh, said the accused had been absconding.

Acting on a tip-off that he was hiding in a dharmashala in Hazaribag town, the police conducted a raid there on Tuesday night and arrested Jain who is also a businessman.

Local BJP leaders alleged that police arrested the 50-year-old man at the behest of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.

A local court remanded Jain to judicial custody on Wednesday. He was charged under IPC Sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust).