Gang of 4 offers MLA Maharashtra cabinet berth for Rs 100 crore, nabbed

MUMBAI: Amidst the power shift in Maharashtra and speculation about reallocation of portfolios, someone tried to pull a fast one on a legislator.
The Mumbai crime branch has nabbed four persons who offered a Daund-based MLA a cabinet post in the state for Rs 100 crore. Based on the complaint by Rahul Kul, a former Rashtriya Samaj Paksha MLA who won the 2019 election on a BJP ticket, the Anti-Extortion Cell arrested them.

According to police, Kul's personal assistant Balkrishna Thorat received a call on July 16 from a man who identified himself as Riyaz Shaikh. Riyaz said he wanted to meet Kul to discuss an offer. Riyaz told Kul that he was from Delhi and he could be of great help to him. The MLA met Riyaz at a five-star hotel in Nariman Point.
At the meeting, Riyaz told Kul he was in contact with a senior politician who could arrange a cabinet berth for Rs 100 crore. The MLA pretended to bargain and agreed to do the deal for Rs 90 crore.