BHOPAL: After spending 13 days in judicial custody at the Bhopal Central Jail for allegedly blackmailing and extorting money from Congress MLA Hemant Katare, the 20-year-old journalism student woman was released on bail on Tuesday evening.
Just an hour later, the aspiring journalist made damning allegations not only against the first-time Congress MLA from Ater (Bhind) Hemant Katare, but also against entire Bhopal police crime branch which is headed by female officer, additional SP Rashmi Mishra.
“I was kept at the crime branch entire night, verbally abused by a male officer in the custody of crime branch sleuths, the officer boasted before senior officers that he wanted to slap me at least thrice. The crime branch sleuths shot my multiple videos in custody and I was forced by them to say on camera what MLA Hemant Katare wanted me to say and also made to sign an affidavit,” alleged the aspiring journo.
“I was picked up from Chetak Bridge in Bhopal by the crime branch sleuths and brought to their office where the ASP Crime Rashmi Mishra was present. In her presence, a black branded bag was opened before me in which there were wands of currency notes. I didn’t even touch that bag, but one of the policeman asked the ASP that should the cops mention in the records about Rs 5 lakh being in the bag. A policeman even asked the woman ASP why she was using her bag for the job, when my bag could have been easily used for it,” the woman alleged.
“I was mentally tortured to the hilt at the crime branch, where I was told that I would be soon set free, but I was produced before court next day and sent jail subsequently. I was safe in jail than at the crime branch. The ASP Rashmi Mishra asked as to whether Hemant had really exploited me sexually, when I said yes, the ASP even promised to help me, but warned me against make the matter public,” she alleged.
While alleging a threat to her life, the woman further said that Hemant Katare possesses her objectionable pictures and videos, which if made public would trigger my mother’s death. “Katare used my objectionable pictures and videos shot by him at his Juna Gym in Bhopal in September 2017 to blackmail me and forced me to have physical relations with him multiple times after that. He threatened to kill me and my family, if I made the matter public,” said the woman, who originally hails from an East UP district.
“Hemant Katare has destroyed me and my family, I don’t have anyone to back me now, I have even lost faith in god, all I know is that I can only rely on my family. The landlord of the house in which I live with my mother, is threatening to throw us out of the house now. If I had any political backing, why would anyone not have come to the help of my family now,” the woman said when asked by journalists about ruling BJP backing her.
When queried about how she knew Vikramjeet, who is her co-accused in the blackmailing and extortion case lodged against her by Cong MLA Katare on January 24, the woman said “Vikramjit is not my aide, but instead the helper of Katare. I’ve haven’t blackmailed anyone, but instead have been the victim of blackmailing.”
About the series of videos and audios which have gone viral in the matter, the woman said “I can only comment on them, once I personally see them. But there should be forensic analysis of each and every audio and video.”
The woman was arrested by Crime Branch on January 24 and she was accused of blackmailing and extorting Rs 5 lakh from Congress MLA Hemant Katare.
While in judicial custody, the woman sent a complaint to DIG-Bhopal, alleging rape by Katare between September 2017 and January 2018. While a case of rape was registered against Katare at Mahila Thana Bhopal, another case of kidnapping of the woman’s mother was lodged against the MLA at Bajaria police station.