Bengaluru police have registered an FIR against Union Minister Pralhad Joshi's brother, Gopal Joshi, and sister, Vijayalakshmi, following a cheating complaint filed by Sunita Chavan, the wife of former JD(S) MLA Devavand Phool Singh Chavan. The complaint was lodged at the Basaweshwaranagar police station, which also named Gopal's son, Ajay Joshi, in the FIR, according to police sources on Friday. Sunita Chavan's husband lost the 2023 Assembly election in Nagthana.
Sunita Chavan alleged that Gopal Joshi had promised her a ticket to contest the upcoming May Lok Sabha elections when she approached him at his residence in Hubballi, North Karnataka, in March. Following this, she claimed to have delivered Rs 25 lakh to Vijayalakshmi's house in Basaveshwaranagar at Gopal's direction. However, when she did not receive the ticket, Sunita alleged that Gopal informed her he was on the verge of securing a Rs 200 crore project and would return her money. He then requested an additional Rs 1.75 crore, which she claimed to have paid.
Gopal thereafter failed to honour his promise to return the money in 20 days, the complainant alleged, adding, she visited Vijayalakshmi's residence but to no avail.