Five booked for bid to extract money from developer in Thane district

They allegedly took Rs 2 lakh from the builder.The accused also made casteist remarks against a few members of the slum colony, the official said.The five have been booked for charges including extortion and criminal intimidation.

Police in Maharashtra’s Thane district on Saturday registered a case against five persons for trying to extort money from a developer and making casteist slurs, an official said.

The accused are residents of a slum colony at Badlapur that is slated to be redeveloped under a scheme of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA).

Citing the FIR, the official said that the accused last month demanded Rs 17 crore from the developer and a few members of the slum sprawl for allowing the redevelopment. They allegedly took Rs 2 lakh from the builder.

The accused also made casteist remarks against a few members of the slum colony, the official said.

The five have been booked for charges including extortion and criminal intimidation. Besides, police have invoked the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against them, said the station house officer of Badlapur East police station.