Roorkee mayor booked for ‘extortion’

Roorkee: Police on Sunday booked mayor Gaurav Goel for allegedly extorting Rs 25 lakh from an octogenarian.
Devendra Singh Chauhan, in-charge of Civil Lines police station, said Goel had allegedly demanded Rs 25 lakh from Subodh Kumar Gupta, 82, for lease renewal. He has been booked under sections 384 (put any person in fear of extortion) of IPC, adding that more sections can be added after the outcome of the probe.
The house was leased to Gupta in 1947.The renewal, which was to be done by the civic body, has been pending for years.
Upset over the delay, the 82-year-old approached the high court. When the petition came up for hearing on December 12, the civic body was told to call a board meeting and dispose of the lease matter within two months.
Gupta alleged that he met Goel to learn about the status of his case following the court order. But to his shock, the latter demanded money and also called him many times.
Police said that in an audio clip which went viral on social media Goel is purportedly heard saying that the property’s actual value is over Rs 8.5 crore and there is no harm if he (Gupta) pays us Rs 25 lakh.
Rubbishing the charges, Goel said that he did not demand any money from Gupta and that it’s a conspiracy hatched by his opponents. "I am ready for any investigation. If I did not do anything wrong, why should I be afraid of anything,” he added.