MUMBAI: Andheri Police have arrested Praful Lodha, close aide of Maharashtra BJP minister Girish Mahajan, in a honey trap case. Lodha was already arrested twice: for allegedly sexually abusing two minor girls and raping a woman on the pretext of getting her a job; the recent accusation has dragged the names of Minister Mahajan and many other leaders into limelight. 72 people are said to be involved in the honey trap case.
Praful Lodha is a businessman from Jamner in Jalgaon, the hometown of Girish Mahajan. Police have seized his laptop, mobile and pen drive.
NCP SP leader and former minister Eknath Khadse claimed that Praful was arrested in a honey trap case, because he has confidential details regarding the case.
"Mr Lodha may reveal unknown details about many leaders, including BJP minister Girish Mahajan, and therefore, he was trapped and arrested in a honey trap case. We demand that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe this case," Khadse demanded.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok sabha MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut shared on social media a video of Lodha claiming that he has incriminating videos of Girish Mahajan, and by pressing one button, Mahajan's career can be destroyed.
"Four ministers in Maharashtra have been caught in a honey trap. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis knows which ministers are involved in the honey trap case. Praful Lodha is involved in a honey trap case, gets arrested, and is in police custody. Lodha, in his video, claims that if he presses one button, he will ruin the career of Mahajan. But he is keeping mum due to some reasons," Raut said, demanding a high-level probe in the honey trap case.
Reacting to this, BJP minister Girish Mahajan said, Lodha is an all-party worker and he does not only belong to BJP. He said Lodha has photographs with all party leaders including Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Jayant Patil, Supriya Sule, and others, but that does not mean that they have any connection with the honey trap case.