Representative image.

NOIDA: Sector 20 police has arrested social worker Usha Thakur in relation to the alleged blackmailing case of Union minister Dr Mahesh Sharma .

Usha whom Sharma addressed as an “elder sister” in a press briefing held soon after the first arrest in the case, was arrested for allegedly “conniving with the accused” Alok Kumar and the other accomplices in trapping the minister in a sting.

Usha had earlier vehemently denied the allegations against her and her family and said they are taking legal opinion.

While the police has stated that she was involved in the conspiracy and had given wrong introduction of Alok to the minister, the minister’s brother Ajay Sharma who is the complainant in the case told TOI that they had got to know about the arrest from the media and “they had not given any complaint against Usha to the police.”

This is the fourth arrest in the case.

According to the police, Usha was arrested early Friday morning around 10 am.

“A number of policemen arrived at the house around 10 am and arrested madam,” a worker at the house told TOI.

Gautam Buddha Nagar SSP Vaibhav Krishna said that Usha was found to be involved in the conspiracy against the minister and it was found that she had introduced him to the minister as the CEO of a company even as she knew that him for quite some time. She had earlier visited the channel where she would participate in the discussions. She knew that his financial condition had deteriorated and even helped him financially,” he said.

Asked about Dr Mahesh Sharma’s comments addressing her like her “elder sister” in a press conference addressed shortly after the arrest of a woman called Nishu from the office of Dr Sharma on April 22, the SSP did not comment.

Nishu was arrested around 2 pm after the minister made a phone call to Gautam Buddha Nagar SSP alleging that the woman had arrived with a letter from the channel head Alok Kumar to demand money from him.

An FIR was subsequently lodged against the accused trio Alok Kumar, Nishu and Khalid under IPC sections for extortion, blackmailing and cheating and Alok was arrested on May 2 along with another woman accomplice Nisha from Kolkata where he was hiding and was planning to get stay on arrest.

According to the police, Alok Kumar had allegedly captured the minister in a sting where he can be heard saying not to take names but use "code-words". The video tape was never released by police.

TOI had earlier reported that social activist Usha Thakur and former UP cop KK Gautam are both named in the contents of the FIR lodged against the accused in the case – namely Nishu, Alok Kumar and Khalid while unknown accused have also been named in the FIR.

However, both the duo had claimed that they in fact tried to help the union minister.

“Alok came to me like any other visitor about some months back and around August claimed that he wanted to help Dr Mahesh Sharma. He would sit in my house and repeatedly request for the meeting. I finally agreed to it in March and helped arrange the meeting. I got to know about it some days back and found that there was a sting that he conducted. Even the girl has claimed before police that I was used,” Usha had told TOI vehemently denying the allegations against her.

On the other hand, Gautam had claimed that he was in fact friends with Dr Mahesh Sharma.

“I got to know about the sting about three-four days back. I was called to help him in this regard. Then, I got Usha’s message on which basis, I informed them about Usha’s message and on that basis, it was decided that we could trap her. Usha Thakur was kind of used,” he said.

Meanwhile, when contacted, Dr Mahesh Sharma’s brother Ajay Sharma told TOI that they have got to know about the arrest only from the media.

“Our stand is that we had made no complaint against her and it is true that she has been respected by the minister as an elder sister,” he said.

Asked about the police’s version, he said that they did not know about the version and don’t know her family.

