Mumbai: The Mumbai police have registered an extortion case against two Goa residents Siddhesh Jana Tari, Pritesh Salgaonkar and their associates who allegedly took Rs 41 lakh and demanded Rs 6 crore from a real estate company’s representative to allow uninterrupted work on an ongoing project at Karapur in Bicholim, an official said on Sunday.
The NM Joshi Marg police registered an FIR on August 27 following a complaint by a liaison officer with ‘The House of Abhinandan Lodha’, who alleged that the accused threatened to halt construction at the project site unless paid, the official said.
“The Karapur-Sarvan agitation is completing almost nearing 150 days. Instead of listening to citizens fighting for their land and addressing their concerns, are attempts being made to intimidate protestors and prevent people from coming out in solidarity with them?” said GPCC chief Girish Chodankar. He said the extortion allegations must be tested fairly before the law. “Allegations cannot be used as a shortcut to suppress democratic dissent.”
