Gopal Joshi, son remanded into 10 days police custody

On Sunday, a day after the Basaveshwara Nagar police tracked down Gopal Joshi and his son from Kolhapur, they were brought to the city on a transit warrant and produced before a local magistrate. They were remanded into 10 days police custody.

On Sunday, a day after the Basaveshwara Nagar police tracked down Gopal Joshi and his son from Kolhapur, they were brought to the city on a transit warrant and produced before a local magistrate. They were remanded into 10 days police custody.

Gopal Joshi and his son Ajay Joshi were arrested on Saturday for allegedly cheating a former MLA, promising him a BJP ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Gopal Joshi is the brother of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi.

Along with Gopal and Ajay, the police have also taken the custody of Vijaya Kumari, one of the accused who posed as Mr. Pralhad’s sister under the name Vijayalakshmi Joshi. Vijaya and Somashekar Nayak were arrested earlier and Nayak continues to remain in judicial custody.

The suspects were named in the FIR registered on October 17, based on a complaint by Sunitha Chavan, the wife of former JD(S) MLA Devanand Chavan. As per FIR, Sunitha was cheated of ₹2.5 crore.

The case was registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhitha for cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy. Sections of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, were also invoked.

The father-son duo were arrested from Kolhapur, where they had allegedly fled to take shelter after the FIR was registered against them.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi distanced himself from the case and claimed that he had nothing to do with his brother. The investigation will be on to ascertain the facts and the possible involvement of others based on the money trail, the police said.