Builder accuses former MLA’s son of extorting Rs 24L

SLUG: POSING AS RTI ACTIVIST
Ahmedabad: A builder in Jamalpur filed a complaint against Jwalit Khatri, son of former MLA Bhupendra Khatri, accusing him of extorting Rs 24 lakh from him by posing as an RTI activist.
The builder, Mohammad Bilal Shaikh—son of a slain builder Hanif Shaikh alias Hanif Dadhi, alleged that Khatri, along with several others, demanded large sums of money by accusing him of doing illegal construction.
Bilal Shaikh lodged a complaint at Gaikwad Haveli police station against Jwalit Khatri, Bilal Luhar, Harun Belim, Imran Shaikh, Alpesh Desai, and Bharat Mehta.
Bilal Shaikh, who runs a construction business under Simran Developers, alleged that in 2020, he started construction of Saniya Residency near Jamalpur Kachni Masjid. While the construction work was on, he received a WhatsApp call from Jwalit, who introduced himself as an RTI activist.
Jwalit alleged that Bilal's construction lacked approval from Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). He then sent photographs of the construction site over WhatsApp, claiming to have obtained RTI documents proving its illegality. Jwalit allegedly summoned Bilal to Manek Chowk and threatened that the construction would be demolished if he did not comply.
Initially, Jwalit demanded Rs 5 lakh. After negotiations, the amount was settled at Rs 4.5 lakh, with Bilal paying Rs 2 lakh immediately and the remaining Rs 2.5 lakh later.
Later, Jwalit allegedly targeted Bilal's sister, claiming her house was also illegal, and extorted Rs 1.5 lakh from her. Jwalit's demands were unending. He sought money for other construction projects, leading Bilal to pay crores over the past four years.
The case has now reached the Gaekwad Haveli police, and an FIR of extortion and abetment was registered.