RTI activist held for extortion in Mumbai

MUMBAI: The Vinoba Bhave Nagar police in Kurla arrested an RTI activist on charges of extortion. The RTI activist, Gaffar Subedar, used to seek information about under construction or already constructed buildings and would demand money from owners if they are found guilty for flouting any rule.
A police officer said that a businessman Nasiruddin Siddiqui alias Papa Bhai had lodged an extortion complaint.“We acted on the complaint quickly and arrested Subedar after we found evidence against him,” he said. It is learnt that Subedar had filed over 500 RTI applications with the BMC and other offices and would harasse pepole in Kurla for money. “We suspect he has links with some government officials too. They will soon be summoned for questioning,” added the officer.