Mumbai: Video and audio clips, as well as WhatsApp messages sent to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s wife Amruta, seeking to blackmail her, were sent from an iPhone 8 found on bookie Anil Jaisinghani’s person when he was arrested in Gujarat on Monday, according to Mumbai Police.
The police made this submission to a Sessions Court even as they sought the custody of the bookie for 14 days, along with that of his cousin Nirmal Jaisinghani who was arrested with him. The court remanded the two in police custody till Monday.
The police said that the number of the iPhone 8's sim card was the same as one saved on his daughter Anshika’s phone as ‘papayaaa’ and contended that this shows that the iPhone 8 belongs to the bookie.
Anshika seen filling a bag with ₹1 crore in a video
The police said it suspects that the 60-year-old was shooting a video that was sent to Amruta Fadnavis. In the video his daughter is seen filling a bag with ₹1 crore that she offered as a bribe to Amrutha, so that the authorities are lenient with her father with regard to cases registered against him.
However, Jaisinghani's advocates, Mringendra Singh and Mannan Sanghai, sought his release on the ground that his arrest was illegal, as he was detained on Sunday night and not produced before a court within 24 hours. However, this claim is contrary to the police's contention that he was arrested on Monday evening.
"Jaisinghani was given protection for 25 years by Mumbai police"
Singh also pointed out that Jaisinghani had an offence registered against him in Gujarat seven years ago, but the local police there did not arrest him as the “deputy CM’s wife is not interested”. The advocate said he was arrested only because “people sitting in the Mantralaya” wanted it. Singh said Jaisinghani was given protection for 25 years by Mumbai police and was in their good books till some people turned against him.
Arguing against further custody of Jaisinghani's designer daughter, Singh told the court that the charge of extortion was added by the police a month after the FIR was lodged by Amrutha Fadnavis, only because the complainant is the “wife of a bigshot”. “My only fault was I was a fashion designer of Mrs. So and so…When my father was absconding, Mrs. so and so has been taking portraits (with me) She has been hugging me, all intimacy, now I am someone extorting money...,” he said on behalf of Anshika.
Additional Sessions Judge DD Almale extended the designer’s police custody so that she can be interrogated along with her father. The court also concluded that the arrest of the bookie and his cousin is not illegal as the journey time to the magistrate’s court is to be excluded from the 24-hour timeframe.
