A woman was arrested for allegedly blackmailing a BJP corporator from the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) and extorting money from him, police said on Saturday.

Corporator Daya Gaikwad, who is also the Kalyan unit chief of BJP's backward cell, had lodged a complaint at Khadakpada police station against her.

"In the complaint, he said that after befriending him on a social networking site a few years back, the woman started demanding Rs 10 lakh from him. But when he did not pay heed to her demands, she allegedly filed a false case of rape against him in September 2017," police said.

"On April 15 (last month), she again demanded Rs five lakh from him and threatened that if he failed to pay, she would lodge a similar complaint against him. She forcibly took him to an ATM and made him withdraw Rs 5,000," police added.

Based on the complaint, police arrested Kharat, a resident of Thane, on Friday night, and booked her under IPC sections 384 (extortion) and 500 (defamation).

Further investigation is on.

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