RTI activist held for extortion at Airoli

THE ACCUSED HAD ALSO POINTED AN UNLICENSED REVOLVER AT THE SUPPLIER, DEMANDED RS20,000 EVERY MONTH BY THREATENING HIM

NAVI MUMBAI: A 57-year-old RTI activist, who allegedly extorted money from a construction material supplier at Airoli, was arrested on Friday.

According to the police, Guddu Herau alias Guddu Pehelwan extorted around Rs70,000 from Raju Sharma, 45, a few months ago.

He had also pointed an unlicensed revolver at him and demanded Rs20,000 every month and threatened him with dire consequences if he did not act accordingly and give him money.

“Sharma supplies construction materials as well as labourers to a construction site at Airoli, sector 1,” said Santosh Khatawkar, assistant police inspector from Rabale police station.

“The accused initially wanted to stop the construction work for some vested interest and had approached Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation and Cidco. But he did not succeed in stopping work,” he said.

“He then approached Sharma and extorted around Rs70,000 from him by threatening him. After that, he demanded Rs20,000 from him every month till the time the construction was on,” he said.

Khatawkar added that the accused did not have a licensed revolver. “On April 27, he threatened Sharma with a revolver. Many other people whom he had threatened also saw that he used to carry a revolver with him,” he said.

The police, however, have not been able to recover the revolver from him.

They have booked him under section 387 (putting person in fear of death or of grievous hurt in order to commit extortion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 3 and 25 of the Indian Arms Act.

He was produced before the judicial court on Saturday and has been remanded in police custody till May 31.

“It is too early to say something about the construction site at Airoli, sector 1 and why the accused was interested in it. We are investigating the case,” Khatawkar said.