BHOPAL: Chattarpur SDM Anil Sapkale was arrested on Friday for planning an attack on himself and his office to frame business rival of a friend. Divisional commissioner of Sagar has suspended Sapkale. The conspiracy was unravelled in police investigation.
On Wednesday, six to seven unidentified people had ransacked SDM’s office and government vehicle. The miscreants had also tried to assault Sapkale.
Chattarpur SP Tilak Singh told reporters on Friday that Sapkale had hatched the plan to frame one Abhay Bhadoria. He said that chairman of private Shri Krishna University Pushpendra Singh Goutam, state general secretary of BJP’s minority wing Javed Akhtar, Rajendra Singh, Amit Singh and Arjun Shrivas have been arrested while one accused is absconding. The police have also seized a live cartridge, baseball bat and two lathis.
The SP said that since day one the police was suspicious of the entire incident. The forensic evidence confirmed their doubts. Later, phone call details brought the conspiracy to the fore.
He said that the SDM, Pushpendra Singh and Javed Akthar were good friends. Pushpendra has a business rivalry with Bhadoria. In the past, the SDM had initiated action against Bhadoria under ‘drive against mafia’ for the benefit of Pushpendra. However, Bhadoria got relief from the court.
After the bid to frame Bhadoria failed, the accused hatched another plan.
The SP said that as per the plan, Pushpendra and Akthar arranged four attackers who ransacked SDM’s office and ran away.
Akhtar, Pushpendra in cahoots with Sapkale
Ongoing probe revealed that Javed Akhtar was waiting for a payment of Rs 40 lakh against his land that was being acquired for a highway project. On his part, Akhtar had paid a handsome amount to SDM Anil Sapkale and secured contract for renovation of administrative official’s office. Pusphendra too told the police that he had so far paid Rs 15 lakh to the SDM, including Rs 4.70 lakh in December 2019.
Importantly, a case of land fraud was registered against upcoming Khajuraho University head Abhay Singh Bhadoria at the behest of the SDM some time back. Bhadoria had secured anticipatory bail in the case.
