The CID has alleged that Jethwani carried out a years-long extortion scheme targeting Vijayawada businessman Kukkala Venkata Rama Vidyasagar through threats of false criminal cases, intimidation and deceptionHYDERABAD: A criminal case that led to the suspension of three IPS officers and disciplinary action against several Andhra Pradesh police personnel has taken a dramatic turn, with the state Crime Investigation Department (CID) naming Mumbai-based actress Kadambari Jethwani as accused No. 1 in a revised chargesheet filed before a Vijayawada court.The CID has alleged that Jethwani carried out a years-long extortion scheme targeting Vijayawada businessman Kukkala Venkata Rama Vidyasagar through threats of false criminal cases, intimidation and deception.The development marks a reversal in one of Andhra Pradesh’s most high-profile criminal cases. Vidyasagar had filed a complaint against Jethwani in Feb 2024, alleging extortion over several years.Trail of extortion and deceptionDuring subsequent investigation, Jethwani accused Andhra Pradesh police of illegally detaining and harassing her, triggering the suspension of three IPS officers and action against several police personnel.After the investigation was transferred to the CID following the change of govt in the state in 2024, the agency concluded that evidence supported Vidyasagar’s complaint and filed the revised chargesheet against Jethwani.According to the chargesheet, Vidyasagar first met Jethwani at a social function in Hyderabad in Nov 2009. She allegedly introduced herself as ‘Natasha‘, claimed to have won a beauty pageant and expressed an ambition to become a doctor.Investigators said their acquaintance later developed into a relationship, during which she sought financial assistance for education and personal difficulties.The chargesheet states that between 2009 and 2012, Vidyasagar paid for her educational and personal expenses, including an alleged payment of Rs 80,000 in Mumbai in March 2012.The alleged coercion began in May 2013, according to the CID, when Jethwani allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh in a Mumbai hotel room and threatened to circulate intimate photographs and implicate him in a false rape case if he refused to pay.The chargesheet states that after Vidyasagar threatened to approach her parents, her mother Asha Jethwani, an RBI employee in Mumbai, spoke to him on the phone and allegedly suggested that the “matter be settled” by agreeing on an amount.The chargesheet further alleges that Jethwani’s father Narendra Kumar Jethwani suggested that the payment be made in instalments through family accounts.Vidyasagar allegedly transferred Rs 1 lakh to Kadambari’s account on May 14, 2013, fearing damage to his reputation and family life. The CID alleges that Jethwani and her mother later threatened to approach his wife and in-laws unless payments continued.In Feb 2015, Jethwani’s brother Ambarish Jethwani allegedly transferred Rs 1.26 lakh into Vidyasagar’s account and asked him to withdraw and return it in cash, according to the chargesheet. A month later, Jethwani allegedly demanded another Rs 10 lakh, threatening a false rape complaint.Vidyasagar claims he paid around Rs 4.2 lakh in cash instalments. Between June 2016 and Jan 2017, he transferred Rs 3.48 lakh in multiple instalments to a joint account held by Jethwani and her mother, the chargesheet states.The CID alleges that the threats continued in 2018, when Jethwani allegedly visited Vidyasagar’s residence in Andhra Pradesh and demanded Rs 2 lakh, threatening to accuse him publicly of rape if he did not pay.He allegedly paid Rs 1 lakh in cash. After blocking her phone numbers for some time, Vidyasagar allegedly received contact from Jethwani again in Sep 2023.The chargesheet states that she demanded Rs 1 crore, claiming she needed the money to establish an art gallery. It also alleges that she asked him to arrange a luxury hotel stay in Varanasi during her visit to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.During a Zoom call around the same period, Jethwani allegedly claimed her brother had become a Dubai-based real estate businessman with underworld connections and could have Vidyasagar killed if he stopped paying.The complainant allegedly arranged her travel and paid Rs 1.5 lakh in cash to her mother as an advance towards the alleged demand.The CID said its investigation relied on bank records, cheque details, hotel bookings, call data records, SMS exchanges, electronic communications, and witness statements.It told the court that scrutiny of Vidyasagar’s accounts revealed a trail of approximately Rs 1.32 crore in withdrawals and transfers linked to the alleged demands.Investigators also noted the absence of loan agreements or other documents, indicating that the payments were genuine financial transactions.While the chargesheet refers to the alleged involvement or presence of Jethwani‘s parents and brother during several incidents, the CID said it found insufficient evidence to prosecute Asha Jethwani, Narendra Kumar Jethwani, and Ambarish Jethwani.The agency has named only Kadambari Jethwani as an accused and said a supplementary chargesheet would be filed if further evidence emerges.