This comes ahead of the likely cabinet expansion in Maharashtra. (Representational)
Mumbai Crime Branch on Monday arrested four persons for allegedly demanding Rs 100 crore for offering ministerial posts to MLAs in Maharashtra.
This comes ahead of the likely cabinet expansion in Maharashtra. Although the final date for the exercise is still under discussion, insiders in the BJP said cabinet expansion was high on the party's agenda and will take place, in all probability, in the fourth week of July.
In order to take advantage of the political situation, four accused tried to cheat three MLAs in the name of offering ministerial posts in the cabinet, Mumbai Crime Branch sources told ANI this morning.
The accused have been identified as Riyaz Sheikh, 41, Yogesh Kulkarni, 57, Sagar Sangwai, 37, and Zafar Ahmed Usmani.
"Accused Riyaz Sheikh tried to contact MLA Rahul Kul via his personal assistant. The next day, the personal assistant had a talk with MLA Kul, after which he called Sheikh to meet him at a hotel in Nariman Point. MLA Kul talked about a portfolio, on which accused Sheikh said that for this you will have to pay Rs 90 crores," said sources.
The MLA informed the police about this and the police set a trap to detain the accused.
As Sheikh reached the hotel at around 1.30 pm on Monday, the police took him into custody. In the hotel, MLA Kul, his assistant and another BJP MLA were present in the hotel.
During interrogation, Sheikh shared information about the role of two more accused, Kulkarni and Sangwai, following which they were also arrested from Thane late Monday night.
Kulkarni and Sangwai told that a person named Usmani had claimed that he knew someone in Delhi who was also involved in this matter.
The police then laid a trap and arrested Usmani on Tuesday morning. They registered a case of fraud against the four accused and presented them in the court, which has sent them to police custody.
The police is probing whether these people have cheated anyone else.