RTI application used to extort Rs 10 Lakh ; Sinhagad road police arrests accused

On Wednesday night (December 6), Pune city crime branch officials detained two accused who were pretending to be RTI activists in an attempt to extract Rs 10 lakh from the trustee of an educational trust that is building two schools in Dhayari.

At the Sinhagad Road police station, an extortion and threat case has been filed against them. In this regard, the trustee in Dhayari had filed a complaint.

The first accused, a resident of Dhayari, and the second accused, a resident of Warje, were taken into custody by a team led by the senior inspector and sub inspector of the Sinhagad Road police.

The accused had submitted applications under the RTI Act to the PMC, the state education department, and the PMRDA, requesting information about the construction activity in Dhayari.

According to a Sinhagad Road police officer, after receiving the required information through the RTI applications, the accused, posing as RTI activists, threatened the trustee in Dhayari and said there were numerous problems with the school construction They demanded Rs 10 lakh to withdraw the applications, but settled at Rs 3 lakh. 

After receiving the Dhayari trustee’s complaint, at a Dhayari restaurant, the police set up a trap for the accused and they were apprehended.