The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday registered a first information report against Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Harish Chandra Shakya, two of his brothers and 13 others for alleged gangrape, fraud and coercion, among other charges, in Badaun, The Indian Express reported.

The police filed the case based on a direction issued by a special court 10 days earlier.

The directive came after a resident of a village in the Ujhani Kotwali area moved the court claiming that Shakya and his associates had been pressuring his family to sell a plot of land at a prime location in Badaun since 2022.

Shakya’s associates allegedly forced the complainant’s grandfather and father to meet the MLA, who represents the Bilsi Assembly seat, when his family refused to sell the land, The Indian Express quoted unidentified police officers as saying.

Following this, the MLA forced them to sell the land at Rs 80 lakh per bigha, which came up to nearly Rs 17 crore. “However, under pressure, they settled for Rs 16.50 crore,” the police officers quoted the complainant as saying.

“As per the agreement, 40% of the amount was to be paid upfront, with the remainder due upon completion of the sale deed,” the complainant said, adding that his family immediately received Rs 1 lakh with no documentation.

Subsequently, the MLA’s associates allegedly started pressuring the family to transfer the land. However, they refused to proceed with the sale deed unless they were paid the full amount. In response, two false criminal cases were allegedly filed against them, the police officers added.

As per the complainant, Shakya’s associates also forced the family to provide thumb impressions on documents that valued their land at only Rs 4 crore, The Indian Express added.

The police officers also quoted the complainant as claiming that his wife was sexually assaulted when she went to meet the MLA to settle the matter on September 17, according to the newspaper.

“The case has been filed on charges of gangrape, criminal intimidation, fraud and other charges,” The Indian Express quoted the local station house officer as saying. “All the accused are residents of Badaun.”

Shakya, on his part, called the allegations baseless, and claimed that they were part of a conspiracy to tarnish his image, ANI reported. He also claimed that he had no connection to the land deal and had never met the family.