Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu’s close aide Rajiv Raja arrested in Rs 30-lakh extortion case

Based on a complaint filed by 37-year-old Ravish Gupta, a resident of Mall Enclave in Ludhiana, an FIR has been registered against the accused under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 308(4) (extortion) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) by the Division Number 8 police station.

In the FIR, Gupta mentioned that he had been getting continuous WhatsApp calls and texts from an international phone number over the past few days. The unidentified caller demanded Rs 30 lakh as ransom and warned of dire consequences too, Gupta said.

During the investigation, Raja and two others were arrested in the extortion case, Ludhiana additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP, Investigation) Amandeep Singh Brar confirmed.

Reacting to Raja’s arrest, Bittu said late Sunday that the move followed the ruling AAP’s “vendetta and revenge politics” after the BJP secured a decisive victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, making a return to power in the national capital on Saturday after 27 years.

Bittu said, “I request Maharaja Satauj (Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann) to spare people such as Rajiv Raja — my friend. He is a reputed industrialist, who is now being accused of extortion. The Punjab Police has also been raiding the houses of several other associates of mine, who are BJP supporters. All this is being done to revenge the AAP’s defeat in New Delhi. I request Mann to spare these small workers and arrest me if he has guts.”