MUMBAI, March 17 (PTI): A Mumbai court on Friday remanded designer Anishka Jaisinghani in police custody till March 21 in a case registered against her for allegedly offering a bribe to Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s wife Amruta for intervening in a criminal case and also threatening her.
Anishka was arrested on Thursday, while her father, also an accused in the case, was still at large. The Malabar Hill police station had registered a First Information Report (FIR) on February 20 on Amruta Fadnavis’s complaint.
The accused was produced before Sessions Judge DD Almale.
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The police, represented by chief public prosecutor Jaysing Desai, sought her custody for seven days, saying this is not a simple matter. Unless the person is remanded in sufficient custody it will be difficult to investigate the case, he said.
The court then remanded Anishka in police custody till March 21.
As per the FIR, Anishka was in touch with Amruta for the past 16 months and also visited her residence.
In her statement to the police, Amruta said she first met Anishka in November 2021.
Anishka claimed that she was a designer of clothes, jewellery and footwear and requested the BJP leader’s wife to wear them at public events saying it would help her promote the products, a police official said.
After gaining Amruta’s trust, Anishka offered to provide her with information on some bookies through which, she claimed, they could make money. She then directly offered Amruta Rs 1 crore to get her father off the hook in a police case, as per the FIR.
Amruta Fadnavis also told the police that she was upset by Anishka’s behaviour and blocked her number, the official said.
The woman then allegedly sent Amruta video clips, voice notes and many messages from an unknown number. She and her father indirectly threatened and conspired against Amruta, said the official citing the FIR.
The police registered the FIR against Anishka and her father under Indian Penal Code sections 120-B (conspiracy) and the Prevention of Corruption Act sections pertaining to using corrupt and illegal means to induce a public servant to take a bribe.
