An Esplanade magistrate court on Friday rejected the bail application of a woman who allegedly extorted Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) minister Dhananjay Munde with threat of filing false rape complaint.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate SB Bhajipale said in his order that the allegations are serious in nature and the probe is ongoing.
The magistrate said that her release at this stage will definitely hamper the investigation. The court also considered the material collected by the investigating officer which showed that an amount of Rs 3 lakh and a mobile handset of Samsung Galaxy has been given to her.
It noted further that though the woman and the complainant were known to each other since 2004, financial transactions took place between them only in the year 2022. “Mobile chatting and mobile talks between them show prima facie substance in the allegations of the informant,” the court stated. Prosecutor Shishir Hiray had opposed bail for the woman.
The 41-year-old had claimed bail stating that she has been falsely implicated in the case and has been in custody since April 20.
