Conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar has alleged that AAP leader and former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain, who is also behind bars in a case, ‘extorted’ Rs 10 crore from him back in 2019 for his safety within a national capital prison he was lodged in.
Chandrashekhar, facing a probe in a Rs 200-crore extortion case, made these sensational charges in a letter to Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena on October 10, seeking a probe by an investigation agency. Saxena, in turn, has forwarded the letter to the Delhi chief secretary for necessary action, said sources.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has denied the allegations against his leader outright, and described it as an attempt to divert attention from the Morbi bridge collapse incident in Gujarat. The BJP, however, latched on to the conman’s charges to call the AAP a “maha thug” party. “The conman has been conned,” said party spokesperson Sambit Patra.
Chandrashekhar alleged that more than Rs 50 crore was paid to the AAP on the promise of giving him a party post in the South Zone, besides helping him get nominated to the Rajya Sabha. The conman said he came in contact with Jain in 2017 at Tihar Jail, where he was incarcerated following arrest in the ‘two leaf symbol corruption case’. Jain was earlier the Delhi minister for jails.
In his comminique to the LG, Chandrashekhar claimed that Jain asked him if he had disclosed anything related to his contribution to AAP to the probe agency. “Thereafter in 2019, again I was visited by Satyendar Jain and his secretary and his close friend Sushil in jail, asking me to pay Rs 2 crore every month to him as protection money to live safely in jail, and to even get basic facilities,” he alleged.
The conman further charged, “Jain asked me to pay Rs 1.50 crore to DG prison Sandeep Goel, who, he said, was a loyal associate of his. He forced me to pay, and an amount of Rs 10 crore was extorted from me through pressure in a matter of two-three months”. The money, he alleged, was collected in Kolkata.
“Hence, a total amount of Rs 10 crore was paid to Satyendar Jain, and Rs 12.5 crore to DG prison Sandeep Goel,” Chandrashekhar alleged. He said he has already given this information to the Enforcement Directorate, which is probing a money laundering case against him.
The conman was moved out of Tihar to Mandoli jail after he petitioned the Supreme Court on a plea that his life was under threat. The letter also said he has requested a CBI probe in a case filed before the Delhi High Court, which has issued notices and may take up the matter next month.
“As Jain is lodged in Tihar, he has been threatening me through the DG Prison and the jail administration, asking me to withdraw the complaint filed in the High Court, and I have been severely harassed and threatened,” he alleged, seeking an investigation into the matter.