Two RTI activists arrested for extorting ₹15 lakh from Ghodbunder Road school
Two Right to Information (RTI) activists were arrested on Thursday afternoon at Ravi Compound in Pachpakhadi, Thane, after they allegedly attempted to extort ₹15 lakh from the administrative officer of a school located on Ghodbunder Road. The suspects had threatened the school's management with demolition action by filing false complaints about the school building.
The arrested men have been identified by the police as Pramod Chandrakant Pardeshi, also known as Rajveer Rajput, 46, and Narayan Omprakash Sharma, 38. Pardeshi is an advertising hoarding fabricator residing in Naupada, while Sharma is employed at a private firm and resides in Srinagar, Thane.
The complainant in the case, 50-year-old Birbal Govinda Bandgar, is the administrative officer of St Xavier’s High School and Junior College on Ghodbunder Road. Bandgar approached the Thane crime branch’s Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) with allegations against the two men.
According to the police, the duo had filed false complaints with the Thane Municipal Corporation, claiming that the school building was unauthorised. They then demanded money from the school administration to withdraw the complaints.
The suspects initially demanded ₹25 lakh to withdraw their complaints, but they later agreed to accept a lowered sum of ₹15 lakh.
Upon receiving the complaint, the AEC verified the allegations and planned a trap. On Thursday afternoon, police officers set up the operation at Ravi Compound in Pachpakhadi.
Senior inspector Shailesh Salvi of the AEC confirmed that the team caught the two suspects as soon as they accepted the ₹15 lakh from Bandgar. The successful operation was led by assistant police inspector Bhushan Kapdnis.
Following their arrest, the accused were produced before a local court, which subsequently remanded them to police custody until June 29.
Based on the complaint filed by Bandgar, the Naupada police have officially registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Pardeshi and Sharma. The charges have been filed under Sections 308(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
