The investigation is ongoing, with police actively trying to apprehend Wadke's four associates who are still at large. (Source: File)The Andhra Pradesh Police, with the help of the Mumbai local police, on January 10 arrested a Girgaon resident who had allegedly blackmailed an MP in Andhra Pradesh for not leaking a controversial Right to Information data against him and extorting Rs 70,000 from his personal assistant at knifepoint last year.
The accused, identified as Vrushant Wadke, allegedly plotted to extort Rs 5 crore from the MP through four of his associates, who are still at large, the police said.
According to the police, Wadke had allegedly obtained some information against the MP through RTI and allegedly kept blackmailing him for money for not sharing the information with Central agencies. Based on continuous harassment over the phone, the MP agreed to send his personal assistant (PA) to meet him in Andhra Pradesh’s Mydukur, while Wadke sent his associate, Harshvardhan, in August 2024.
During the meeting in Kadapa (YSR) district, Harshvardhan and his men allegedly robbed the PA of Rs 70,000 at knifepoint, said the police. The police are trying to nab another accused in the case, and further investigation is going on.
The Andhra Pradesh Police filed the First Information Report (FIR) in Mydukur police station in August under section 308(5), 351(2), 127(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Wadke and four others, a police officer told The Indian Express.
The Andhra police team reached Mumbai and nabbed Wadke with the help of the VP Road police in Mumbai on January 9. After completing the legal formalities, the arrest was recorded on January 10 and was produced before a local court in Mydukur.