A top official in Akola, Maharashtra, faces serious extortion charges after allegedly demanding money from stone crusher owners, sparking a police investigation and raising concerns about corruption.
An additional collector from Maharashtra's Akola district has been booked for allegedly extorting money from a stone crusher owner and threatening to target other such businessmen, a police official said on Wednesday.
While an FIR was registered against accused Pramod Rahul Gaikwad at the MIDC police station here on Monday, the official rejected the allegations.
The action against Gaikwad came on a complaint by the working president of an association of stone crushers. He claimed that the official demanded a monthly payment of Rs 15,000 from him, along with Rs 5,000 from each of the other members of the association.
The complainant said the official, who allegedly threatened to take action against stone crushers if his demands were not met, accepted Rs 15,000 from him.
Earlier, the Akola District Mining and Crusher Entrepreneurs' Association had also filed a complaint against Gaikwad, who has been booked for extortion and criminal intimidation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the official said.
The government has sent Gaikwad on compulsory leave, he claimed, adding that a probe is underway.
The additional collector, however, has rejected the allegations.