Himalaya Harbinger, Uttarakhand Bureau.
The Udham Singh Nagar police have arrested a man for allegedly impersonating Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s son, Jay Shah, and demanding Rs 3 crore from Rudrapur MLA Shiv Arora, promising to make him a minister. The accused’s accomplice was nabbed in Haridwar, while the mastermind remains at large.
According to the police, MLA Arora’s associate Abhishek Mishra filed a complaint stating that on February 13, the MLA received a call from an unknown number. The caller, identifying himself as Jay Shah, spoke for 14 minutes and 22 seconds, claiming he could secure a ministerial post for the MLA in exchange for Rs 3 crore. When Arora asked to speak with Amit Shah or BJP president JP Nadda, the fraudster cited their busy schedules. Later that evening, the MLA received five more calls from the same number.
Acting on District’s SSP Manikant Mishra’s orders, a Special Operations Group (SOG) and city police traced the number and identified the caller as Uwais Ahmed, a native of Nidhauli Kala, Etah, currently residing in Khoda of Ghaziabad. Based on an informant’s tip-off, Uwais was arrested from Block Road in Rudrapur, on Tuesday.
During interrogation, Uwais revealed the names of his associates—Gaurav Nath from New Delhi’s Ghazipur area and Priyanshu Pant from Mayur Vihar Phase 3. He admitted they had obtained contact details of MLAs from various states and executed similar frauds using two SIM cards, one active for over 18 months without valid identification.
SSP Mishra said, “Uwais has confessed that Gaurav Nath spoke directly to MLA Arora while impersonating Jay Shah. The Haridwar police have arrested Priyanshu, a native of Bageshwar, and efforts are underway to apprehend Gaurav.”
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Fraud inspired by ‘Jamtara’, mastermind still on the run
Himalaya Harbinger, Uttarakhand Bureau.
The three fraudsters who posed as Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s son, Jay Shah, and offered to make MLAs ministers had devised the entire scheme inspired by the crime web series Jamtara. The mastermind, Gaurav Nath, is still at large, with police teams from Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar, and Nainital actively searching for him.
Following the shocking revelation of the scam targeting MLAs from Rudrapur, Nainital, and Ranipur, Udham Singh Nagar police arrested Uwais Ahmed, who provided the SIM cards, while Haridwar police nabbed Priyanshu Pant. Investigations revealed that Gaurav orchestrated the entire operation.
“During interrogation, Uwais admitted that after watching Jamtara, Gaurav came up with the idea. He then roped in Priyanshu and me, promising quick money,” SSP Manikant Mishra said.
Uwais, a scrap dealer, procured additional SIM cards on Gaurav’s instructions. On February 13, the trio gathered political data online before executing their fraudulent calls. Sources indicate they planned to target MLAs from Manipur and Delhi next.
Authorities are also probing reports of the accused being involved in drug abuse. “Complete details will only emerge once Gaurav is arrested,” the SSP added.
