Two Samajwadi Party workers held for extortion

Aurangabad: Two workers of the Samajwadi Party (SP) were arrested here on Wednesday for extorting Rs 5 lakh from an office-bearer of a local educational institution, police said.

The accused were identified as Amitkumar Singh (28) and Prashant Ram Waghare (29), both residents of Aurangabad.

According to police, Sunil Eknath Palve (49), a resident of Garkheda area in the city, had complained that the duo demanded Rs 25 lakh from him in lieu of not publishing some information related to his educational institution.

They told him that they had obtained the information from the education department of the Zilla Parishad. Although they initially sought Rs 25 lakh from Palve, the amount was later settled at Rs 5 lakh. Based on the complaint, a trap was laid and as soon as the party workers were handed over the cash, they were caught, a statement issued by the police said.

According to police, the accused are history-sheeters.