Man Arrested For Impersonating Jay Shah, Attempting To Extort BJP MLAs In Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand authorities have apprehended a man who impersonated Jay Shah, son of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and ICC chairman, in an extortion attempt targeting local BJP legislators. The primary suspect, 19-year-old Priyanshu Pant, was arrested in Delhi, while police identified two accomplices in the scheme.

According to Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police Pramod Singh Dobal, one accomplice, Uvesh Ahmed, was captured in Rudrapur, Udham Singh Nagar district, while the third suspect, Gaurav Nath, remains at large. The group allegedly targeted multiple BJP MLAs, including Ranipur representative Adesh Chauhan, demanding Rs 5 lakh under the guise of party donations. They also approached MLAs Sarita Arya from Nainital and Shiv Arora from Rudrapur, promising ministerial positions in exchange for money.

The scheme unraveled when Chauhan received a suspicious call on Sunday evening from someone claiming to be Jay Shah. When the legislator expressed skepticism, the caller threatened to launch a social media smear campaign. Chauhan's public relations officer promptly filed a police complaint, initiating an investigation.

Police investigation involved tracking the perpetrator's mobile phone through CDR and IMEI numbers, leading to raids across Ghaziabad and Delhi. Upon arrest, Pant confessed that the group's motivation was to fund a luxurious lifestyle through their extortion scheme. Authorities recovered the mobile phone used in the crime and continue their search for the remaining suspect.