Surat: A local court in the city has rejected the bail application of five leaders of the NSUI (National Students’ Union of India), the student wing of the Congress party, in a ₹1 crore extortion case registered at Saroli police station.

According to the police, the accused allegedly attempted to extort ₹1 crore from Red and White Multi Media Education and Creative Design and other institutes. The accused were apprehended last week while accepting ₹5 lakh as part of the extortion amount, having already received ₹1.5 lakh as an initial payment.

The police further stated that the accused had threatened to damage the institutes’ reputation by organizing a press conference and falsely alleging that the institutions were issuing fake degrees. Before filing the complaint, the institute owners secretly recorded three videos capturing the extortion demands.

Acting on a tip-off, Saroli police arrested Surat City NSUI President Dhirendrasinh Solanki, City Vice President Mitesh Hadia, Ravi Pusadiya, Preet Chavda, and Tushar Makwana. A complaint was filed against them under Sections 308(2), 308(6), 61(1)(a), and 356(1)(2) of B.N.S. 2023. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to locate two other accused, Abhishek Chauhan and Kishoresinh Dabhi. Furthermore, after the arrests, NSUI Gujarat president suspended the accused members.

The police produced the five arrested accused in court and sought their remand. After the completion of the remand, the accused were presented before the court again, where they filed a bail application. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court rejected the bail application, considering the seriousness of the crime and the prima facie evidence against the accused.

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