Designer Aniksha Jaisinghani in police custody till March 21; extortion charge added

On Friday, the Mumbai Police, while seeking Aniksha’s custody, claimed that charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act were invoked as the 25-year-old wanted to influence the complainant’s husband, Devendra Fadnavis, a public servant.

The police claimed that video clips and photographs sent by Aniksha, and those recovered during the probe, were collected and forwarded to the forensic science laboratory.

“The photos and a report from the FSL categorically shows how and in what manner the conspiracy was planned to fix the informant and ultimately the public servant,” chief public prosecutor Jaysing Desai told the court.

He said that after initially making an attempt to bribe Amruta to clear her father’s name from pending criminal cases, Aniksha later sent some videos to Amruta.

“The videos were sent with an intention to further blackmail the complainant. The charge under section 385 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code has been invoked as the accused asked for Rs 10 crore stating that if the money was not given, they would circulate the video clips. The FSL report shows that the videos have been manipulated,” Desai told the court, adding that there was a deliberate attempt made to frame Amruta.

Citing messages allegedly sent by Aniksha to Amruta, where she is claimed to have said that her father (Anil) was angry as Amruta blocked her, Desai said that it showed that Aniksha was in ‘constant touch’ with her father, who is an absconding accused in multiple cases for the last eight years.

The police officials said that Aniksha resorted to committing extortion as Amruta Fadnavis had refused her offer of Rs 1 crore.

An officer said, “The woman had initially offered Amruta Rs 1 crores and requested her to save her father, however when she refused, the woman then sent Amruta and one of her employee’s videos, audio clips, and messages to threaten her.”

Amruta had then blocked the phone numbers but Aniksha somehow managed to get in touch with her again and threatened to make those videos and audio clips viral. “She went on to demand Rs 10 crores from her for not making those video clips viral,” said a senior police officer.

Through WhatsApp chat, Aniksha allegedly told Amruta that “my father is very angry with her” following which she went on to demand Rs 10 crores by threatening to make those videos viral.

Describing the nature of the videos, an officer said, “In one video, it can be seen that Aniksha is filling money in a bag and simultaneously counting them. While in the second video, it can be seen that there is some movement with that bag at Sagar Bungalow. And on these pretenses, she was threatening her.”

“Both the videos were sent for forensic analysis after which the investigators came to know that in the first video, the bag was stuffed while in the second video, which is sagar Bungalow, the bag wasn’t,” said an investigator adding, “Owing to which, we have derived that the bag full of cash never went to Sagar Bungalow and it was done with an intention to threaten Amruta.”

Defence lawyer Milan Hebbale, representing Aniksha, said that he will not object to the police plea seeking her custody as it is the first remand hearing, but raised the question of the timing of the arrest.

“No notice was given before arresting her as required by law. The FIR was registered on a prior date. Why arrest me now? I am a law student, the exams are going on. I am a woman, minimum police custody be granted,” Hebbale said.