Kolkata, July 23 (IANS) West Bengal police have arrested a law officer of the Howrah Municipal Corporation and an NGO functionary on charges of allegedly extorting lakhs of rupees from hoteliers, private hospital owners and real estate developers in Howrah city, officials said on Thursday.
Officers of Golabari police station have also arrested the head of an NGO who was helping the law officer. The police have started questioning the arrested people in stages. It is also being investigated whether anyone else from the municipal corporation is involved in this extortion case.
According to police, Ashish Kapoor, the owner of two famous hotels in the Howrah station premises, filed a complaint of extortion against the Howrah Municipal Corporation Law Officer and his associate, the NGO officer, at Golabari police station on July 20.
Golabari police made the arrests following a complaint lodged by hotelier Ashish Kapoor, who owns two hotels near Howrah station. He alleged that NGO operator Ramesh Jaiswal approached him on July 18, claiming that his hotel buildings were illegal and faced demolition action by the civic body. According to the complaint, he was told that the matter could be settled if he paid Rs 50 lakh through the municipal corporation’s law officer, Sudarshan Jaiswal.
Kapoor further alleged that after he refused to pay the amount, Ramesh Jaiswal returned the next day and threatened to kill him. Following the complaint filed on July 20, police launched an investigation and arrested both accused on Wednesday.
Investigators suspect that the duo had been running a similar extortion racket for nearly a decade. According to police findings, they allegedly targeted hoteliers, hospital owners and real estate developers by threatening civic action against alleged illegal activities and then demanding money in exchange for ensuring that no municipal action was taken.
Police are now questioning both accused and probing whether any other officials of the Howrah Municipal Corporation were involved in the alleged extortion network.
–IANS
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