Activist, 2 others in Kalyan extort Rs 8.6L from builder, FIR filed

Kalyan: Kolsewadi police in Kalyan have filed an extortion case against a social activist, her husband and their associate for allegedly demanding Rs 1 crore from a developer and threatening to bring a cluster redevelopment project to halt if their demands were not met.

The developer, Raj Chaturvedi, alleged that shortly after construction work began in Kalyan, activist Asha Rasal, husband Rutukanchan Rasal and their associate, Nitin Mokal, repeatedly threatened to obstruct the project by launching protests and hunger strikes and filing complaints before various govt departments and authorities.

As per the FIR, the accused initially demanded Rs 1 crore from the developer in exchange for withdrawing their opposition to the project, which was later negotiated down. The complainant said the accused succeeded in collecting nearly Rs 8.6 lakh from the developer, including Rs 7 lakh in cash, between Jan 2024 and Oct 2025. Police are verifying this claim through bank records and digital transaction data.

The developer alleged that the accused demanded another Rs 50 lakh and three flats in the redevelopment project.

The accused have offered no official response on the charges.