Man, 57, arrested for extorting money from panchayat secretary in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: The Kinathukadavu police on Thursday arrested a 57-year-old man for threatening panchayat secretaries and extorting money from them. The accused had threatened to file RTI against them if they failed to pay up. N Balaji, 31, panchayat secretary from Keeranatham village lodged a complaint with the Kinathukadavu police on Thursday.
In his complaint he stated that a building contractor, T Raja from Kovilpalayam near Kinathukadavu sent petitions against panchayat secretaries to their respective panchayats. He also sought details of secretaries and their educational qualifications under the Right to Information (RTI) act. He then went on to threaten the secretaries and extort money.
“Raja petitioned Keeranatham panchayat, seeking details about me. He then demanded 25,000 to withdraw his petition and promised not to bother me further if I pay up,” said Balaji.
On December 12, 2022, Balaji had given in to Raja’s demand for 25,000 and handed him the money near Kinathukadavu bus stand. “I paid the amount but three months later, he demanded 50,000. I then discussed the issue with other panchayat secretaries and came to know that Raja had similarly extorted money from many others,” Balaji added.
Based on the complaint, Raja was booked under sections 294 (b), 353, 384, 385, 506 (i) of the Indian Penal Code and section 4 of the Tamil Nadu prohibition of harassment of women act. He was arrested on Thursday evening and remanded to judicial custody on Friday morning. Coimbatore rural police have since registered three more cases against Raja for threatening panchayat secretaries and extorting money.