Indore Municipal Corporation officials demolish a building owned by businessman Jeetu Soni in Decemebr, 2019, after his tabloid ran stories on the honey trap case. (PTI)

Controversial businessman and journalist Jeetu Soni, who was absconding for months after a slew of cases were registered against him, has been arrested in Gujarat by the crime branch of Indore Police.

The crime branch had arrested his brother, who was also an accused in many cases, from a farm house in Gujarat four days ago. The police then claimed that Jeetu, who was holed up elsewhere in Gujarat, managed to escape.

DIG Harinarayanchari Mishra told The Indian Express that Soni was brought to Indore on Sunday morning from Gujarat. He said 45 cases had been registered against Jeetu.

His brother Mahendra Soni had been arrested five days ago. He is believed to have provided information about other possible hideouts of Jeetendra alias Jeetu. Many teams of Indore crime branch had been camping in Gujarat.

From extortion to blackmailing and forgery to human trafficking, the Indore police had charged Jeetu, in his 60s, with several offences in the FIRs registered against him in different police stations.

Jeetu had carried many stories with lurid details about the honey trap case in his tabloid Sanjha Lokswami. Within days the administration demolished many properties, including his bungalow and hotels, claiming that they were built in violation of rules.