1 year before death, Prateek Yadav had accused business partner of Rs 4 crore extortion

LUCKNOW: Prateek Yadav, step-brother of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and husband of BJP leader Aparna Yadav, died in Lucknow on Wednesday morning under what officials described as “mysterious circumstances.”In a separate case filed in 2025, Prateek Yadav had accused a former business associate of extorting over Rs 4 crore and threatening to damage his reputation. An FIR was registered at Gautampalli police station against three individuals for alleged financial fraud, criminal breach of trust, blackmail and intimidation.According to the complaint, the two had set up a real estate firm, Monal Infratech Pvt Ltd, in 2015.Yadav stated that his health worsened during the Covid-19 period.Between 2020 and 2022, he reportedly suffered from prolonged illness, which was further compounded by the deaths of his mother in September 2022, his father in October 2022, and his maternal uncle in November 2022.He alleged that during this phase, the business partner further intensified financial exploitation and emotionally manipulated him to extract additional money.After recovering, when Yadav confronted the associate, he was allegedly threatened with legal action.As per the FIR, the partner also sent intimidating emails and WhatsApp messages to him. Yadav further claimed that two members of the associate’s family were involved in the alleged conspiracy.