Thane News: Maharashtra Police Busts RTI Extortion Racket, Three Including Two Journalists Arrested

Three people, including two journalists and an RTI (Right To Information) activist, were arrested by the Thane Police Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) on Thursday in Maharshtra's Thane district for allegedly blackmailing and extorting money from a government officer using RTI replies. Police said that the accused demanded Rs 2 lakh from Jayant D Jople, a Class II officer, to suppress the evidence of corruption they claimed to have obtained through RTI. 

The accused were identified as Santosh B Hire (44), Subhash N Patil (40) and Shamshad S Pathan (48). The victim, Jayant D Jople, lodged a complaint against them at Thane anti-extortion cell, following which the police team laid a trap and nabbed the trio red-handed while accepting Rs 1.5 lakh from him at a restaurant in Kalwa.   

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According to Senior Police Inspector Shekhar Bagde, the head of the Thane AEC, the accused were part of a gang of fake RTI activists and scribes who used RTI replies to threaten and extort money from government officials in various towns of Thane district, such as Ambernath, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar and Badlapur.

“Such elements are giving a bad name to RTI and misusing the information they secure under it. The people should not fall prey to such tactics and approach the police,” said an official as quoted by news agency IANS.

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Police have registered a case against the accused and an investigation is underway to find the details of the racket. The accused were also produced before a Thane Magistrate who remanded them to police custody till November 7.