NGO chairman arrested in graft case, released on bail

Mumbai, Jan 10 (UNI) Bhavan Gathani, chairman of a non governmental organisation who was arrested yesterday in connection with a extortion case, has been released on bail.

Gathani, chairman of Karuna Parivar, was arrested from Malad here for allegedly demanding money from a truck owner last year when he found the latter carrying animals to a slaughter house.

Gathani, however, had been absconding since then and was arrested only yesterday.

Gathani had allegedly stopped the truck near a hotel in the city and told the truck driver that he was animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi's personal secretary and would lodge a complaint against him if he failed to cough up Rs 25,000 per truck of animals that he was transporting.

The truck owner, Shahid, lodged a complaint with the Sion police last year. However, Gathani had been absconding since then.

Shahid, in his complaint, told the police that he was only responsible for transporting the animals to the slaughter house in Deonar. He alleged that Gathani had been similarly harassing other truck owners.

UNI ST GR SY DS1355