Chinmayanand rape case: SIT team arrests girl student for extortion

On Wednesday the special investigation team (SIT) arrested the girl student, who had accused BJP leader and former union minister Swami Chinmayanand of rape, for alleged extortion, said Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh.

"The law student has been arrested by the SIT for allegedly trying to extort money from him," Singh told reporters here.

Last week, Uttar Pradesh police arrested Chinmayanand, charging him with an offense of rape, stalking, and criminal intimidation.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by IG Naveen Arora, also arrested three of the woman's friends on charges of attempting to extort Rs 5 crore from Chinmayanand, criminal intimidation, causing evidence to disappear and sending offensive messages.

Chinmayanand, who was the minister of state for home in the Vajpayee government and ran a college in Shahjahanpur where the girl was a student, was produced before a local court which remanded him to 14-days judicial custody.

Earlier on Monday, Chinmayanand was admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute (SGPGI) following symptoms of angina.

"Swami Chinmayanand was admitted in MICU Ward of SGPGI under Professor P K Goel, Head of the Department Cardiology, with symptoms of angina," Professor Amit Agarwal, Chief Medical Superintendent of SGPGI, said in a statement.

Former Union Minister Chinmayanand is a known diabetic since long.

"Angiography was done and no significant blockage was found and angioplasty was not required," Agarwal said.

According to the head of the department, Chinmayanand will be stabilized with medicines and then his discharge will be planned in due course of time.

( With inputs from ANI )