A Special Investigation Team has asked former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath to hand over flash drives and another potential evidence in the 2019 honeytrap case, NDTV reported on Sunday. Politicians from both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress were allegedly caught on camera by those running the honeytrap ring.
In September 2019, the police in Madhya Pradesh began investigating about 12 top bureaucrats in the state and eight former ministers after they unearthed an extortion racket and found more than 1,000 clips of sex chats, explicit videos and audios of power brokers in the state.
On May 21, in response to a question on calls to register a first information report against Congress’ Umang Singar, Nath said that the Bharatiya Janata Party should not play dirty politics. The former chief minister also cautioned the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government that he and many others had a pen drive or CD related to the honeytrap case.
The SIT notice sent to Nath, under provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, mentioned the press conference on May 21 and noted that he had materials related to the honeytrap case. The notice said that this “pen drive/CD was extremely important evidence” in the FIR lodged in Palasia police station. The notice also stated that the new material would make the inquiry more effective and stronger, reported PTI.
The notice also asked Nath to be present at his Bhopal home at 12.30 pm on June 2 so that his statement can be recorded and the pen drive could be handed to the officials. Nath told PTI that he would reply to the notice but added that the “pen drive” he had spoken about was not with him and that many journalist had it as it was widely shared in Madhya Pradesh.
Nath said police officers informed him about the case while he was the chief minister.
In September 2019, the police had arrested six, including five women. They were identified as 39-year-old Shweta Jain, her 48-year-old namesake, 35-year-old Barkha Soni, 34-year-old Arti Dayal, her driver, and an 18-year-old college student. Each of these women allegedly ran their own gang. Soni is the wife of former Congress Information Technology cell official Amit Soni.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!