Narendra mehta (centre)

MUMBAI: Sitting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Mira-Bhayander and corporator Narendra Mehta and five officers of the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation ( MBMC ) have been booked for demanding Rs 2 crore extortion from a builder in 2015.

The Naya Nagar police in Mira Road filed the FIR on January 25 following the Bombay high court order on Monday. Last year, the complainant Vinod Trivedi (45) had filed a criminal writ petition alleging that the police failed to take his complaint against Mehta and the officers.

Mehta refuted the charges saying that the builder had been asked to stop work as he had submitted fake documents. "The builder has mentioned in his police statement that he has no proof. It is easy for anyone to make allegations," said Mehta.

Trivedi had alleged that Mehta along with MBMC town planner Dilip Gheware, assistant commissioner (encroachment) Chandakant Borse, ward officers Swapnil Sawant and Sanjay Dhonde, Bhupesh Kakde (junior engineer) had demanded Rs 2 crore for permission to construct a residential building in Bhayander.

Trivedi had the development rights of the property. On May 25, 2015, when Trivedi approached Gheware for the commencement certificate (plinth level) to start the construction work, he was told to speak to Mehta.

While Trivedi did not speak to Mehta, he met Gheware and reminded him of a clause where the builder could go ahead with the construction if the civic administration failed to respond to the application.

On September 15, 2015, Trivedi was issued a stop-work notice and asked him to obtain the CC. On October 3, 2015, the MBMC demolished his structure. Trivedi alleged that all that the civic officers told him was to meet Mehta.

On November 17, 2015, Mehta allegedly called Trivedi on his cellphone and demanded Rs 2 crore to carry out the construction work. The same evening Trivedi approached the police with his complaint but was turned away.

Following the court's directive, the police booked Mehta and the others under Section 385 (extortion) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

In November last year, Mehta was acquitted of a 14-year-old bribery charges by the Thane court. He was accused of demanding Rs 20,000.

