Surat: Chowk Bazar police have arrested a 37-year-old ‘RTI activist’ for allegedly attempting to extort money from a manufacturer by threatening action against his construction project.

The accused, Prashant Kachhadiya, had filed an RTI application with the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) regarding a four-storey building being constructed by the complainant, Mansukh Pansuriya. He allegedly demanded ₹20 lakh and accepted an initial payment of ₹50,000.

According to police, the complainant recorded a video of the accused and later filed a complaint.

Police Inspector S.D. Ratada said Pansuriya, who owns plots in Katargam’s Sahajanand Society, had started redeveloping an old structure in March 2025. The accused allegedly threatened to get the construction demolished through RTI-related complaints, following which SMC officials inspected the site, causing concern for the complainant.

Under pressure, Pansuriya reportedly paid ₹50,000 as the first instalment but later approached the police instead of making further payments.

During the investigation, police said the accused is a habitual offender and has previously been booked in a similar case by Adajan police. DeshGujarat