Pralhad Joshi’s ‘disowned’ brother held for Rs 2-crore fraud

The Karnataka Police on Saturday arrested Union Minister Pralhad Joshi’s brother following a cheating complaint lodged by a former JD(S) MLA’s wife. Gopal Joshi and a woman named Vijayalakshmi Joshi were booked by Basaveshwaranagar police on Thursday night. Gopal’s son Ajay Joshi has also been named in the FIR.

The complaint was lodged by Sunita Chavan, wife of former Nagthan MLA Devavand PS Chavan, who lost the 2023 Assembly election. She alleged Gopal Joshi duped her of Rs 2 crore on the pretext of securing her family a BJP ticket to contest the LS poll.

The complainant also alleged that Vijayalakshmi was introduced to her as Pralhad Joshi’s sister. However, the Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines clarified that he had no sister. He said he had only three brothers, one of whom died in a road accident in Ahmednagar in 1984.

The minister said he had already clarified that he disowned his brother (Gopal) more than three decades ago, and said he had filed an affidavit in the court and also published a public notice saying that anyone claiming to be his brother, relatives or friends and indulging in any financial business would not be a binding on him. Meanwhile, the investigating team brought Gopal to his residence in Hubballi for spot inspection.