New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh Police’s special task force will now look into the case of Satya Prakash Rai, alias Sherpuria, who was arrested on serious conning allegations – collecting crores of donations based on the claim that he has access to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The task force had arrested him on April 26 this year. Indian Express, which had a day ago reported how Lucknow Police had been accompanying Sherpuria to houses linked to him in Delhi and Ahmedabad to recover property documents connected to his case, has now quoted Director General of Police R.K. Vishwakarma as having said that the case is now transferred from Lucknow Police.
A day ago, Sherpuria was sent back to Lucknow jail after his six-day custodial remand ended.
The paper quoted unnamed sources as having said the investigation of the case was transferred to the STF after it was found that travel to other states is required for a deep probe.
“It would be tough for the district police to probe extensively while looking after the responsibilities of routine policing,” the DGP told the paper.
Sherpuria allegedly ran a seamless con, claiming to have a Race Course address and having had a PR-team driven online presence.
The Enforcement Directorate has searched these venues already, police has claimed.
Sherpuria’s lawyer has meanwhile alleged that police did not follow court directions on custodial remand by taking him to an “undisclosed location” on the night between May 5 and 6.
Sherpuria has been linked with several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders, including J.P. Nadda, Anurag Thakur, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Mohan Bhagwat.