Congress Leader Held in Barwani Exploitation Case
In a shocking incident from Barwani district, Madhya Pradesh, a local Congress leader and his associate have been arrested for allegedly sexually exploiting and blackmailing a 40-year-old woman for over two years. The accused, identified as Manish Goyal, formerly the Congress block president of Pansemal, and his aide Bhagwan Solanki, were taken into custody and produced before a court on Saturday.
The Anjad police station in-charge, RR Chauhan, confirmed that the court granted a two-day police remand for Manish Goyal. The arrests have sent ripples through the local political landscape, prompting immediate action from the party.
How the Harassment Began
The ordeal began two years ago when the victim's husband borrowed Rs 2 lakh from Goyal for business purposes. Under the pretext of obtaining her consent as a guarantor for the loan, Goyal initiated frequent contact with the woman. Police officials stated that he gradually established familiarity and then began pressuring her mentally.
According to the formal complaint, Goyal called the woman to his house in Anjad, where he allegedly forced physical relations with her. The victim, fearing social stigma and under financial pressure, remained silent, which emboldened Goyal to continue his exploitation.
The situation escalated when Goyal later called her to Indore, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her again. During these incidents, he recorded videos of the acts, gifted her a mobile phone, and took control of her personal phone through a sharing application. The complaint further alleges that Goyal's associates, identified as Satwant Gurcha, Yunus Khan, and Bhagwan Solanki, also sexually assaulted her.
Elaborate Blackmail Racket Uncovered
Investigations reveal that Goyal forced the victim to lure other men to Indore, where he would record compromising videos to blackmail them for money. The operation involved a sophisticated network where Satwant Gurcha and Yunus Khan posed as fake police officers to intimidate the victim and extort large sums from the trapped men.
The victim eventually realized she was part of a planned racket masterminded by Goyal. When she resisted further involvement, the situation turned more dangerous. Goyal allegedly visited her home, showed explicit videos to her husband, physically assaulted him, and threatened to kill the entire family if they spoke out.
Police have uncovered another disturbing aspect of the case: Goyal had deceitfully opened a current account in the woman's name without her consent, through which large financial transactions were conducted.
Political Fallout and Ongoing Investigation
The Congress party acted swiftly upon learning about the allegations. Nanesh Chaudhary, the District Congress president, stated, "As soon as this matter came to the fore, we took Goyal's resignation from the post of Pansemal block president." This immediate removal underscores the seriousness of the charges.
The victim eventually mustered courage and approached the Anjad police, leading to the arrest of Goyal and Solanki. Police are now investigating the wider network involved in this racket and are searching for the other accused persons. According to Chauhan, several other individuals connected to the case are being traced as the probe continues to unfold the full extent of this criminal operation.
