‘RTI activist’ held in Mumbai for extortion

The accused, identified as Afzal Lakhani, allegedly called the civil contractor on January 17 and introduced himself as an RTI activist

The Samta Nagar police on Friday arrested a man for extorting money from a contractor by claiming to be an RTI activist.

The accused, identified as Afzal Lakhani, allegedly called the civil contractor on January 17 and introduced himself as an RTI activist. The contractor was in the process of renovating the first floor of a house in Hanuman Nagar, Kandivli (East), from January 15. Lakhani demanded Rs15,000 from him and threatened to inform civic officials, if he failed to pay.

In his complaint, the contractor told the police that Lakhani had also stopped by the house and taken pictures. He allegedly told the contractor that “he knew he had paid the BMC for permission to renovate the house and so he had to pay him Rs15,000 or have the house demolished”.

The contractor approached the Samta Nagar police station, when Lakhani continued harassing him. Lakhani asked the contractor to meet him at Sandip Hotel in Kandivli (East) on Friday at 5pm. A team of police officers in plain clothes accompanied the complainant and caught Lakhani red-handed.

“Lakhani has been booked for extortion and criminal intimidation and has been arrested. He was caught red-handed while accepting money from the complainant,” said an officer from Samta Nagar police station.