The Crossbill News Desk
Madhya Pradesh police have uncovered a bizarre case in which the son of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader allegedly faked his own death to escape mounting debts worth Rs 1.40 crore.
The accused, Vishal Soni, son of Rajgarh BJP leader Mahesh Soni, also attempted to stage a kidnapping before being tracked down and arrested in Maharashtra, The Times of India reported, citing officials.
The episode began on September 5, when police were alerted that a car had plunged into the Kalisindh river. Divers later retrieved the vehicle, which was identified as Vishal’s, but found it empty. This triggered a large-scale search operation across a 20-km stretch of the river, involving three separate teams, amid allegations of negligence by Vishal’s father.
After more than a week of unsuccessful rescue efforts, police grew suspicious and examined Vishal’s mobile call records. The trail led them to Maharashtra, where he was eventually caught in the Fardapur police station area of Sambhaji Nagar district with the help of the local police.
During interrogation, Vishal admitted that he owned six trucks and two public vehicles but was unable to cope with debts of over Rs 1.40 crore.
“I was told that if I got a death certificate, the bank loans would be waived,” he reportedly told police, as quoted by TOI.
Investigators later reconstructed his movements on the morning of September 5. Around 5 am, Vishal collected money from his truck driver near Gopalpura, drove to the riverbank, switched off his car’s headlights, and pushed the vehicle into the river before fleeing to Indore on his driver’s bike. He then travelled to Shirdi and Shani Shingnapur, all the while reading news reports about his supposed death.
Realising that police had traced his location, Vishal attempted another deception by faking a kidnapping. He reportedly tore his clothes, rolled in dust, and lodged a false report at the Fardapur police station.
Police officials stated that there is no direct constitutional provision to penalise an individual for faking their own death.
As a result, Vishal was handed over to his family without a formal case being registered against him.
The accused, Vishal Soni, son of Rajgarh BJP leader Mahesh Soni, also attempted to stage a kidnapping before being tracked down and arrested in Maharashtra, The Times of India reported, citing officials.
The episode began on September 5, when police were alerted that a car had plunged into the Kalisindh river. Divers later retrieved the vehicle, which was identified as Vishal’s, but found it empty. This triggered a large-scale search operation across a 20-km stretch of the river, involving three separate teams, amid allegations of negligence by Vishal’s father.
After more than a week of unsuccessful rescue efforts, police grew suspicious and examined Vishal’s mobile call records. The trail led them to Maharashtra, where he was eventually caught in the Fardapur police station area of Sambhaji Nagar district with the help of the local police.
During interrogation, Vishal admitted that he owned six trucks and two public vehicles but was unable to cope with debts of over Rs 1.40 crore.
“I was told that if I got a death certificate, the bank loans would be waived,” he reportedly told police, as quoted by TOI.
Investigators later reconstructed his movements on the morning of September 5. Around 5 am, Vishal collected money from his truck driver near Gopalpura, drove to the riverbank, switched off his car’s headlights, and pushed the vehicle into the river before fleeing to Indore on his driver’s bike. He then travelled to Shirdi and Shani Shingnapur, all the while reading news reports about his supposed death.
Realising that police had traced his location, Vishal attempted another deception by faking a kidnapping. He reportedly tore his clothes, rolled in dust, and lodged a false report at the Fardapur police station.
Police officials stated that there is no direct constitutional provision to penalise an individual for faking their own death.
As a result, Vishal was handed over to his family without a formal case being registered against him.
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