The Maharashtra police on Wednesday detained Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Advay Hiray, considered a trusted aide of Mr. Thackeray, from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly defrauding the Nashik District Central Cooperative Bank.
Mr. Hiray, a key leader of the Thackeray group in Nashik, had been booked along with 28 other persons under Section 420 (cheating) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in April this year for defaulting on a loan exceeding ₹30 crore taken from the bank.
The Sena (UBT) leader had moved the Bombay High Court seeking bail, which in turn had rejected the plea. Mr. Hiray had been reportedly absconding until a team of the Nashik Rural Police finally detained him in Bhopal.
Formerly with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mr. Hiray, considered an important face of the BJP in north Maharashtra, had joined Mr. Thackeray’s camp soon after current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s intra-party revolt vertically split the Shiv Sena. He was immediately made a deputy leader of the Sena (UBT).
Mr. Hiray is a scion of the politically influential Hiray family, which has dominated the politics of north Maharashtra for several decades. He is a grandson of Pushpatai Hire, a prominent Congresswoman and former Maharashtra Minister.
Generations of the Hiray family had held the Dabhadi Assembly constituency in Nashik, before it became known as Malegaon Outer following delimitation. From 2004 onwards, Shiv Sena leader Dada Bhuse has held the Malegaon Outer Assembly segment.
Mr. Hiray’s adhesion to the Sena (UBT) brought him into direct conflict with his bitter adversary, Mr. Bhuse, who is now the Public Works Minister and an important leader of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction.
Mr. Hiray’s supporters allege that his arrest is politically motivated and the handiwork of Mr. Bhuse.
