Mahesh Sawant, a typist working at state environment minister Ramdas Kadam's office, threatened the Vidarbha businessman with action unless he coughed up a bribe
State environment minister Ramdas Kadam
A typist working at state environment minister Ramdas Kadam's office was arrested on Friday after he allegedly misused the minister's name to extort Rs 10 lakh out of a businessman from Vidarbha.
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The accused, Mahesh Sawant (38), was arrested on the basis of a complaint by the minister's personal assistant. "Sawant managed to get the contact details of the businessman, a sand contractor, from the minister's office around two months ago. He then called the businessman on a day when all the other staffers had gone home," said a senior IPS officer.
Sawant misused the minister's name and office to threaten the businessman, stating that stern action would be taken against him if he didn't cough up Rs 10 lakh, said another senior officer. However, the businessman started making enquiries, and other staffers at the minister's office discovered what Sawant had done.
Senior officials at the office were informed and, on Thursday, a complaint was registered at the Malabar Hill police station by the minister's PA.
The very next day, Sawant was arrested from the office. He was charged with extortion under the Indian Penal Code Section 384. Police are investigating for evidence and to learn what made him take this step.
Despite repeated attempts to contact senior inspector at Malabar Hill police station, Bhaskar Sawant, he remained unavailable for comment.
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