Thane Thane anti-extortion cell arrested two people red-handed while they were extorting money from Ulhasnagar builder on Thursday.
Sheru Gangwani, 40, and Mohan Askarani, 52, have been arrested for extorting ₹30,000 from the builder.
According to the police, this is not the first time the accused had demanded money from the builder for construction work.
Gangwani used to file Right to Information (RTI) and get details about those not paying him money. He used to look for loopholes into the building work, and then call officials to take action.
After he got the money, he would take his complaint back. Askarani would help him.
Last year, too, Gangwani complained to the Ulhasnagar civic body about alleged irregularities in the builder’s construction work. He had demanded Rs50, 000.
Thane anti-extortion cell’s senior police inspector Rajkumar V Kothmire said, “Later, Gangwani settled for ₹30,000. He also demanded ₹20,000 monthly. After the builder approached us, we laid a trap in a hotel and caught both while they were accepting money. Gangwani’s other aides are on the run.”