India, Feb. 3 -- Former Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator from Nalasopara, Swapnil Bandekar, and three of his associates, including a Right to Information (RTI) activist, were arrested by Navghar police on Saturday night for allegedly extorting an SRA builder in Worli.

The arrests followed a sting operation by the police at a restaurant on Mira Road, based on a complaint by 34-year-old builder Akash Pawan Gupta. The police apprehended the accused while they were allegedly accepting the first instalment of Rs.25 lakh from the demanded Rs.1.5 crore.

The extortion plot

Akash Gupta, the complainant, is a construction contractor managing a slum redevelopment project (SRA) in Worli under his company, Chintaharni Chintpurni LLP Realtors. His project...