UP law student arrested; BJP disowns Chinmayanand

Shahjahanpur (UP): The law student who has accused BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand of rape was arrested on Wednesday on charges of extortion and sent to 14-day judicial custody, police said.

Hours later, her bail plea was rejected.

The 23-year-old woman was arrested around 9.15 am from her home by a special investigation team (SIT) amid massive police deployment.

Inspector General Naveen Arora, who heads the SIT of the Uttar Pradesh police, said they arrested her after "enough" digital and forensic evidence was found and statements recorded.

"We have sufficient evidence that Rs 5-crore extortion money was demanded from Chinmayanand," he told reporters.

He said three men arrested earlier for extortion confessed that they sent messages to Chinmayanand "in panic" on the directions of the woman when the money demanded was not delivered.

Another SIT member said they arrested the student after confronting her with the video clips – one of them on an alleged conversation in a car between the three men and the student discussing the extortion plan.

The officer claimed that during the questioning Wednesday morning, the student "verified" the contents of the clip, confirming that it had her voice and that of the three other men.

Last week, the SIT formed by the Uttar Pradesh police on the instruction of the Supreme Court had arrested Chinayamand based on the woman's complaint.

Simultaneously, they also arrested the three men and booked the student on the extortion charge.

Meanwhile, the BJP on Wednesday said former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand, accused of rape by a law student of his college, is no longer a member of the party.

"He is not a member of the BJP," party spokesperson Harishchancdra Srivastava said.