Shiv Sena (UBT) Leader, Activist Arrested in Extortion Case

  Ajay Dhoka                  Manoj Mayekar

Jatin Dadhich / Thane : The Anti Extortion Cell of Thane City have made two significant arrests in a extortion case, where individuals allegedly demanded ₹25 lakh from a Sub-Registrar by threatening to use media and political leverage to get the official suspended.

The case involves a political leader, a self-proclaimed activist, and a RTI Activist cum Journalist, all of whom were named in the initial complaint. The First Information Report (FIR No. 0860/2025), however, was registered against two individuals, with the third person currently under the scanner and expected to be added to the FIR soon.

The arrests have been made under Section 308(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which deals with the crime of extortion.

Complainant Jayant Jople, the Sub-Registrar of the Thane No. 9 office in Kalwa West, alleged that the accused approached him between October 15 and November 14, 2025, claiming illegal registration of property deeds was occurring at his office. The accused posing as a political leader and activists and journalists then allegedly used this information to threaten the official.

They reportedly demanded a total of ₹25,00,000 to drop their complaint, which included threats of filing complaints with the official's superiors, spreading false, defamatory information on their paper, news channels, and social media platforms. Out of ₹25,00,000, ₹15,00,000 were for Ajay Popatlal Dhoka, and ₹5,00,000 each for Manoj Mayekar and RTI Activist cum Journalist.

Following the complaint, the police officials of Anti Extortion Cell (Thane) set a trap at Sai Pooja Hotel in Kalwa, Thane. On November 14, 2025, at approximately 1:00 PM, the main accused, Ajay Popatlal Dhoka, was allegedly caught in the act of accepting money from the complainant. The total amount accepted by the accused was ₹20 Lacs, which included a mix of Indian currency notes and toy notes used by the police for the trap.

Later, the co-accused Manoj Mayekar, a prominent political leader and a city office bearer for the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) party in Mira Bhayandar City, was arrested by police after receiving confirmation call from Dhoka regarding the Extorted money.

Third Accused, a 'RTI Activist cum Jounalist', Still Sought

Police officials are actively searching for the third accused, a self-proclaimed RTI Activist cum Journalist who was part of the extortion plot. He is currently absconding, and the police are expected to include his name in the FIR shortly, bringing the total number of accused in the formal police case to three.

This incident has cast a spotlight on an alleged network operating in the Mira Bhayandar area, where several individuals are reportedly involved in extortion rackets. These persons are said to be purely involved in the "extortion business" by exploiting their self-proclaimed titles as journalists, RTI activists, or members of social organizations to intimidate government officials, Businessmens, Contractors, Slum Mafias, etc and illicitly demand money.