Chairman of Anti-corruption panel arrested

Aurangabad, July 11 (UNI) The chairman of an anti-corruption panel was arrested red handed here on the charges of extortion of Rs 5,000 from a liquor shop owner.

Police sources said the accused, Prashant Shriram Rathi, chairman of the Bhrashtachar Nirmulan Samiti (BNS), and his two partners had planned to extort Rs 10,000 every month from each liquor shop owner at the Paithan gate so as to allow them to operate late till midnight. They even warned to launch a massive agitation if the shop owners failed to oblige them.

The owner of a liquor shop, who was asked to pay Rs 10,000 to avoid police action, lodged a complaint with the police.

The police laid a trap yesterday and arrested the BNS chairman while taking part payment of Rs 5000 from the liquor shop owner, while his two accomplices managed to escape.

The BNS chairman is also a member of the All India Human Rights Commission and works as executive editor as well as sub-editor of two different local weekly news papers. The I-cards of both the weekly were seized from him, the police added.

A case has been registered with the Kranti chowk police and a manhunt has been launched to arrest the accomplices.

UNI