Woman arrested for extortion in Maharashtra harassment case

A woman who accused Maharashtra Minister Jaykumar Gore of harassment has been arrested for extortion. The police reported this on Friday, March 21, 2025. According to officials, the woman demanded ₹3 crore to withdraw her allegations. She was caught accepting ₹1 crore of this amount during a police operation in Satara. Her identity has not been released, and police are currently questioning her. Minister Gore, who is responsible for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, has faced opposition calls for his resignation over the allegations. He has denied any wrongdoing, stating that he was acquitted by a court in 2019 of a previous molestation charge from 2017. Gore emphasized that the court had ordered the destruction of evidence related to the case. He has also filed a breach of privilege motion against opposition members who continue to discuss the old allegations. Recently, a journalist named Tushar Kharat was arrested for making derogatory comments about one of Gore's aides. He is also accused of attempting to extort ₹5 crore from the minister.