Ranchi businessman held after Chhattisgarh BJP leader accuses him of rape, extortion and cheating

A BJP leader in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district has accused a Ranchi-based businessman of rape, extortion, and cheating, leading to his arrest and ongoing investigation.

A BJP leader in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district has accused a Ranchi-based businessman of raping and cheating her after allegedly inducing her to invest more than Rs 1.5 crore in a mining business, police said on Friday.

The accused, identified as Sanjay Singh, was arrested from Ranchi in neighbouring Jharkhand and brought here during the day, Bilaspur Senior Superintendent of Police Rajnesh Singh said.

An FIR was registered against him at Civil Lines police station here on May 14 on charges of rape, extortion and cheating, among others, following a complaint lodged by the woman BJP leader, the SSP said.

Mobile chats, call records, financial transactions and other documents related to the case are being thoroughly examined as part of the investigation, the official added.

According to the complaint, the woman had met Sanjay Singh, a resident of Ranchi and businessman, in Delhi around two years ago.

He allegedly introduced himself as a prominent industrialist and lured her into investing in a mining business by promising huge profits, police said quoting the complaint.

The accused later allegedly persuaded her to invest more than Rs 1.5 crore by offering partnership in the business and assurances of double returns.

During this period, the two became closely acquainted and Singh, along with his family, frequently visited the woman's residence in Bilaspur, police said.

The complainant alleged that around eight months ago, while travelling from Raipur to Bilaspur, the accused deliberately sent his driver away on some pretext and raped her at a secluded place before abandoning her on the road.

She later returned to Bilaspur in an autorickshaw, police said.

The woman, in her complaint, has further alleged that the accused continued to force her to give him more money through mobile phone messages and chats and also threatened to kill her.