RTI activist held for extorting ₹35L from jeweller

The complainant approached a crime branch official after the accused started threatening and demanding ₹15 lakh more. On March 23, a case was registered in the LT Marg police station and was transferred to the AEC for investigation.

Mumbai: The Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the crime branch arrested a 46-year-old RTI activist on Thursday evening for allegedly extorting ₹35 lakh from a jeweller who has been renovating his four-storey building in south Mumbai.

The victim along with his two friends then met Zaveri, who allegedly informed him that his renovation work was illegal and the work will soon stop if he failed to pay him ₹45 lakhs. The complainant had already faced a loss of ₹1.5 crore due to delay in completing the renovation work and therefore he got scared and paid ₹35 lakh to Zaveri, said the officer. (Image for representation)

The accused – identified as Gaurang Zaveri – is also a jeweller from the same area.

The complainant approached a crime branch official after the accused started threatening and demanding ₹15 lakh more. On March 23, a case was registered in the LT Marg police station and was transferred to the AEC for investigation.

“One of the buildings in Teli Galli of the complainant was dilapidated and he had therefore undertaken renovation after obtaining required permissions from the concerned authorities like MHADA and BMC,” said a police officer.

The renovation work had stopped for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and later it started again in August 2022. After a month, the victim’s manager Chetan Dandage informed him that Zaveri came to meet him, claiming he was the owner of the neighbouring building. “When the victim inquired, he found Zaveri is an RTI activist, and he allegedly filed RTI applications to get details from the concerned department about the construction work. He also learnt that Zaveri had filed a complaint to stop the work, claiming it was illegal,” said the police officer.

The victim along with his two friends then met Zaveri, who allegedly informed him that his renovation work was illegal and the work will soon stop if he failed to pay him ₹45 lakhs. The complainant had already faced a loss of ₹1.5 crore due to delay in completing the renovation work and therefore he got scared and paid ₹35 lakh to Zaveri, said the officer.

Recently, the accused again threatened to file a complaint about the renovation work and again demanded ₹15 lakh. The complainant then realised that his demands would not stop in future and approached the police.

Zaveri was produced in the court and remanded in police custody till March 28.