MP honey trap case: IMC demolishes absconder Jitu Soni's brother's property

The Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) on Saturday destroyed a property owned by Mahendra Soni, the brother of absconder Jitu Soni, against whom a case under IT Act was filed by an employee of the Municipal Corporation of Indore for publishing news and videos on a controversial honey trap case.

MP police on Friday announced prize money of Rs 1 lakh for giving information about the absconder, Jitu Soni.  At least 25 other cases are registered against Jitu in the past twelve days, consisting of nine other old cases. Jitu Soni owns the Sanjha Lokswami newspaper in which he published news reports about a honey trap incident the state. Soni is also accused of publishing audio and video content related to the honey trap incident on YouTube.

The Indore Municipal Corporation Official Harbhajan Singh had filed a case against Jitu and his son Amit Soni under the IT Act for publishing news about the honey trap incident. Earlier this year, six persons, including five women, were arrested in connection with the case. The case came to light after an Indore Municipal Corporation engineer filed a complaint alleging that the two women were blackmailing him by threatening to make some objectionable videos viral. 

READ | MP: Amit Soni Remanded For Two Days In Honey Trap Case By Police

Incriminating evidence found in the case

Madhya Pradesh police had recovered more than 4,000 files from the laptops and the phones of the accused people who were then arrested. These files included many screenshots of chats, audio clips and video recordings that were objectionable in nature. These materials were allegedly used for blackmailing various bureaucrats, politicians, and businessmen from the state. 

READ | Honey Trap Case: HC Reserves Order On Pleas Demanding CBI Inquiry, Ban On Reporting

Petition to Indore HC

Earlier in December, the Indore High Court had heard different petitions concerning the honey trap case where more than 4,000 files of objectionable nature were found from accused persons. One of the petitioners Harbhajan Singh had demanded prohibition on media reporting of the case whereas, through a Public Interest Litigation, petitioner Digvijay Singh has sought court orders for CBI inquiry of the case. The HC will announce the verdict after receiving a forensic report from Hyderabad.

READ | Honey Trap Case: Advocate Manohar Dalal Says High Court awaits Forensic Reports

(With inputs from ANI)