Rajiv Raja aide of Union minister Ravneet Bittu released on bail

Ludhiana: Rajiv Raja, a close aide of Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, was released from jail in Ludhiana on Thursday after the district court granted him bail. He had been in jail for 15 days following his arrest on February 11 for allegedly extorting money from a businessman.

Businessman Ravish Gupta had filed a police complaint claiming he received a ransom call from an international number, demanding Rs 30 lakh and threatening to kill him if he refused to pay.

Following Raja’s arrest, Bittu blamed Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for the case. He challenged the chief minister to file a case against him if he had the courage. Bittu also went to the chief minister’s residence in Chandigarh but was not allowed to meet him.

After Raja’s release, Bittu accused the government of falsely implicating him. He alleged that the chief minister was frustrated after AAP’s defeat in Delhi and claimed that people in Punjab were also looking to oust the AAP government.