BJP Leader's Son Among Three Arrested in Bharuch as Gang Demands Ransom of 50% of Profit Cut from GIDC Contractor's Earnings
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Police in Bharuch district have detained three men, including the son of a senior Gujarat BJP Scheduled Tribes cell official, for allegedly abducting an industrial contractor from Jhagadia GIDC and demanding a 50% from his project profits as extortion.
The victim, Vinay Indrajit Yadav, a native of Uttar Pradesh living in Vapi, had secured a boiler and steam pipe project worth ₹50 lakh at the Steam House India unit in Jhagadia. On August 15, a gang intercepted Yadav inside the industrial estate, bundled him into a Mahindra Thar, and drove off while threatening him with violence.
Abduction and Extortion Demand
During the abduction, the gang demanded half of Yadav's total project earnings—amounting to ₹25 lakh. The captors stopped at a roadside eatery during the ordeal, forcing the contractor to pay for their refreshments using a UPI transfer, which left a critical digital trail for investigators.
Yadav subsequently filed a formal complaint at the Jhagadia GIDC police station, naming local operative Jaymin Ranchhod Patel of Ankleshwar as the mastermind behind the racket.
Political Connections Under Scrutiny
Following the complaint, officers rounded up three suspects: Mathews Shantilal Vasava, Lalu alias Maya Ambubhai Vasava, and Kiran Pravinbhai Vasava.
Mathews is the son of Shantilal Vasava, a state-level minister in the ruling party's Adijati Morcha (tribal wing). Photographs showing the main absconding suspect, Jaymin Patel, alongside prominent local political figures have circulated widely across social media platforms following the arrests, raising awkward questions for regional party managers.
GIDC Safety Concerns Escalate
The incident marks another escalation in criminal intimidation targeting industrial contractors across Bharuch's manufacturing belt. Jhagadia GIDC has previously witnessed violence linked to local contract rivalries, including incidents involving armed intimidation and property damage.
Special teams are carrying out raids across Ankleshwar and surrounding talukas to trace Jaymin Patel, who remains on the run. District police officials confirmed that further operations are underway to dismantle extortion syndicates operating around industrial units in the area.
