In a major breakthrough, the Mumbai Police tracked and arrested, from near Ahmedabad, a Thane bookie, who was absconding for over five years, for his role in the sensational case pertaining to threats, blackmail and bribes offer to the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister’s wife, a top official said here on Monday.

The accused is Anil Jaisinghani – whose daughter and fashionista Aniksha was arrested last week – both from Ulhasnagar town in Thane after a complaint was lodged by the banker-singer Amruta Fadnavis, wife of Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

“We had put him under tech intel surveillance for the past five days, but he was constantly on the move in different towns of Gujarat. Finally we tracked him to Kalol in Gujarat. He was caught along with an associate just before midnight and brought to Mumbai,” Mumbai Deputy Commissioner of Police, Cyber Cell, Dr. Balsing Rajput said.

Rajput said the accused Jaisinghani has at least 15 cases registered against him and later handed him over to the Malabar Hill Police which would produce him before a magistrate’s court.

The police have seized several mobiles, laptops, Internet devices and other things from the arrested duo in the 72-hour-long “Operation AJ”, he added.

“He was arrested in a joint operation with Gujarat Police. The accused is an expert in Internet and mobile technology and could also communicate in an encrypted manner,” the DCP said.

Last week, Amruta Fadnavis’ police complaint of February shot to headlines, in which she had accused attempts made by the Jaisinghani father-daughter to frame her, threaten, blackmail and bribe her with Rs 1 crore, after which Fadnavis – who holds the home portfolio – ordered a probe.

The Malabar Hill police station had lodged the FIR on February 20, but it was kept under wraps and the matter was raised in the Assembly by the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders last week, sparking a furore.

In her complaint, Amruta Fadnavis had accused the duo of trying to blackmail her by threats to make public some audio-video clips that would convey an impression that she was accepting bribes/favours from them.

Aniksha, who had come in contact with Amruta Fadnavis since 2015, and then revived her contacts 18 months ago, had asked the latter’s help to withdraw certain criminal cases against her absconding bookie father.

Sensing a trap, Amruta Fadnavis had blocked Aniksha, who then sent come audio-video clips to blackmail her after which the DyCM’s wife lodged the police complaint.

Confirming the developments last week, Fadnavis said Aniksha had befriended his wife by claiming to be a fashion designer of jewellery, clothes, footwear, etc.

After gaining confidence, Aniksha had sought Amruta Fadnavis’ help to get her father – who was implicated in purportedly fake cases – off the hook in return for a bribe of Rs 1 crore.

The DyCM claimed that the names of several policemen, including a former Mumbai Police Commissioner and many politicians, emerged during the investigations, and everything would come to light soon.

Moving swiftly later, the Mumbai Police swooped on the Jaisinghanis’ Ulhasnagar home, nabbed Aniksha, detained her brother for sometime and have now arrested their father from Kalol town in Gujarat.