Man involved in U’khand ex-min honeytrap racket caught after 7-yr chase

Shamli: A man involved in a seven-year-old honeytrap case targeting former Uttarakhand minister of state Masood Madani has been arrested by police. The case, which led to the minister's wrongful imprisonment, was later uncovered as a honeytrap conspiracy. Saharanpur police arrested Karmveer Sharma, a resident of Jind, Haryana, near the Deoband civil court on Saturday evening.Sharma, 70, had been absconding since 2017, after being implicated in the plot that allegedly framed Madani for rape. Madani was imprisoned and later released.
Deoband SHO Sanjeev Kumar said, "Karmveer was deeply involved in this honey trap scheme. A non-bailable warrant had been issued for his arrest, and a Rs 15,000 reward was announced for information leading to his capture."
On March 17, 2017, a woman from Haryana had accused Madani of rape. The complaint was filed at Deoband police station, and Madani was charged under IPC sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation). Madani, who functioned as a spiritual healer, was approached by the woman along with a man, who claimed to be her husband. The couple used fake identities to meet the ex-minister and requested ‘divine intervention' to conceive a child.
Shortly after the visit, the woman filed the rape complaint, which led to Madani's arrest and imprisonment. However, as the investigation progressed, it was found that the allegation was part of a planned honey trap orchestrated by a gang seeking to extort Madani.
During the investigation, police found that the woman's allegations were false, leading to legal action against her and her accomplices. The gang's leader, Shamsher Singh, was arrested recently, bringing the total number of arrests to seven.
In June 2017, the Allahabad high court granted Madani bail after the investigation exposed the conspiracy. Meanwhile, the accused attempted to seek relief from the high court in 2018, but were denied any protection, and their plea was dismissed.
Madani served as a state minister in the ND Tiwari-led Uttarakhand govt between 2002 and 2007. His son, Umar Madani, contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections from Deoband on an AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) ticket, receiving around 3,500 votes.
(With inputs from Pankul Sharma in Dehradun)