Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRADUN, 7 Nov: Dehradun Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) has finally arrested Cabinet Minister Rekha Arya’s husband, Girdhari Lal Sahu alias Pappu Girdhari, from Jhansi in UP in connection with a case registered on the minister’s complaint. His nephew, Satendra Rathore, has also been arrested from Bareilly after his alleged involvement in the case surfaced during the investigation.
The arrests come nearly three weeks after an FIR was lodged at Cantt police station in Dehradun on October 15 on the complaint of Rekha Arya, who accused her husband of assault, harassment, cheating, criminal conspiracy, use of casteist remarks, issuing death threats and plotting to kill her. She had also alleged that Sahu had concealed details of a previous marriage at the time of their marriage and later used forged signatures and fabricated documents to remove her as a director from several companies.
Given the seriousness of the allegations, a nine-member SIT was constituted under the supervision of senior police officers. According to police, Sahu repeatedly failed to join the investigation despite being served three notices. Subsequently, a non-bailable warrant was obtained against him. His anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the court, while on 4 November, the Uttarakhand High Court also dismissed his petition seeking quashing of the FIR and a stay on his arrest.
SSP Dehradun Pramendra Dobhal shared with the media that the SIT carried out extensive searches at multiple locations in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and other states, while electronic surveillance and intelligence inputs were also utilised to trace the accused. Acting on specific information, the police arrested Sahu from Jhansi and Rathore from Jogi Navada in Bareilly.
The officials claim that the evidence collected during the probe, including witness statements, documents and audio recordings, indicate that Sahu and Rathore allegedly prepared forged documents using fake signatures and removed Rekha Arya from the directorship of four companies, namely Devon Ke Dev Mahadev, Bankhandi Rudraksh Dham, Shri Ambe Auto Dealers Private Limited and Shri Bankhandi Dham Developers Private Limited. Police also alleged that Rathore was subsequently appointed director in those firms, following which he was also named in the case.
According to police, Sahu has a long criminal history, with as many as 44 cases, including those related to murder, attempt to murder, rioting and the Gangsters Act, registered against him in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
The case has drawn significant public and political attention, particularly after Sahu levelled corruption allegations against Rekha Arya while evading arrest. Following his arrest, Sahu maintained that he was innocent and remarked that if his imprisonment brought happiness to his minister wife, he accepted it. The SIT is continuing its investigation and interrogating both accused regarding the allegations.
Following his arrest, however, Sahu claimed that he has been arrested at the insistence of Rekha Arya but he is not guilty of any of the charges levelled against him.
