Nagpur: In yet another revelation, it has come to the fore that East Nagpur MLA Krishna Khopde was also targeted by the fraudster, who demanded money from the MLA and promised a ministerial position in the Shinde-Fadnavis Government, local media reported.
According to police, approximately six months ago, during discussions of Cabinet expansion in the State, a person named Sharma contacted Khopde over the latter’s mobile phone. Claiming to be extremely loyal to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President J P Nadda, Sharma informed Khopde that he would be included in the Cabinet expansion. Sharma instructed Khopde to be prepared to follow the directives of the national leadership.
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25 April 2025
Initially, Khopde disregarded the call, but Sharma kept calling him frantically for the next four consecutive days. During these interactions, Sharma enticed Khopde with promise of a ministerial post and demanded a sum of money. However, Khopde wisely chose against falling to Sharma’s tricks. This development led to speculation about the identity of the individual who had contacted Khopde.
Whether it was Neeraj Singh Rathod, a resident of Morbi, Ahmedabad, or an entirely different person. remains a question. Now, it depends on Khopde whether he will lodge a complaint with the police regarding this attempted fraud.
In a related development, the Crime Branch has acquired voice samples of Neeraj Singh Rathod, who was apprehended in connection with the attempted lure of MLA Vikas Kumbhare. These voice samples will be sent to the forensic laboratory for examination on Monday. As Neeraj’s police custody is set to conclude, there is a possibility that the police will request an extension of PCR to further interrogate him on Monday.
