An FIR was filed against Mumbai lawyer, Adv. Vimal Jha, for allegedly abducting and torturing his client over non-payment of Rs. 3 crore fees.
The victim, Navnath Gole, is the owner of a shipping company for whom Jha had secured bail in a cheating case from the Ahmednagar Sessions Court, Maharashtra.
According to the FIR, the businessman was abducted by Jha on 2nd April 2021 and taken to a farmhouse in Nashik. At the farmhouse, the victim was allegedly made to transfer his property to Jha and was later tortured.
Gole's phones were also alleged to have been confiscated before he was trashed by Jha and three unidentified men. Jha is said to have gone away the next day and Gole was dropped back.
The 45 years old lawyer is charged for offences under Section 365 (Abducting with intend to secretly and wrongfully confine), Section 364A (Abducting for ransom), Section 387 (Extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), Section 323 (Voluntarily causing hurt) and Section 506 (Criminal Intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
The FIR says that Goles wife approached Jha when the husband was arrested in the cheating case. Jha demanded Rs. 70 lakhs for appearing in the bail matter. The victim claims that he paid the payment in full. But Jha demanded Rs. 3 Crores as the full remuneration once the bail was granted.
Jha was reported to have been arrested on Wednesday by the Kharghar police in Mumbai.