The woman from Shahjahanpur who had accused BJP leader Chinmayanand of rape has been detained in an extortion case against her; just a day after the Allahabad High Court rejected her application seeking a stay against her possible arrest in a case of extortion threat filed by the politician.

The Special Investigating Team has taken two more accused in the case on remand for further investigation in the case. The brother and father of the law student were also present along with her.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) also booked three of her friends after questioning them in connection to a video clip in which they were purportedly discussing extortion. According to the SIT chief Naveen Arora, the three had accepted their involvement in the case although the woman, a law student, had denied the charges.

“I do not know if the people who helped me escape from Chinmayanand were using me. I have nothing to do with the extortion case. I think all this drama is being done to dilute my charges of rape,” she had said.

The Allahabad High Court in Monday’s hearing had also turned down the request of the student to once again record her statement in front of a Magistrate and said that she should approach the trial court for the issue. After the woman accused the BJP leader of sexual harassment, the politician filed a case of extortion threat against unidentified persons. Chinmayanand’s lawyers had alleged that a WhatsApp message demanding Rs 5 crore was received on the mobile phone of the BJP leader. The message, they alleged, threatened to make some video clips viral if the amount was not paid. Following this, the three youths were arrested.

—India Legal Bureau