The high court has denied anticipatory bail to Jitesh Baliram Chandvekar, a suspect in the Siddhivinayak VVIP darshan racket, which was exposed by mid-day, on January 15. The police informed the court that Chandvekar, a flower seller, and others had cheated scores of devotees, and it was necessary to keep them under arrest to determine the total number of victims and recover their money.

On October 2 last year, mid-day revealed how flower vendors, with the help of temple employees, were helping some devotees bypass the queue by offering VVIP darshan for a hefty fee. Chandvekar accepted Rs 3,000 from undercover reporters in return for his services. The Dadar police are now planning to arrest more than four to five other suspects. The Dadar cops registered an FIR under Sections 420 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code against unknown individuals on a complaint from the Siddhivinayak temple trust manager after mid-day’s exposé was published.