Textile trader held for demanding Rs 5 lakh from shopkeepers in Surat

The accused was arrested after Surat city BJP president Niranjan Janjhmera lodged a complaint against the textile trader with Salabatpura police station on Friday.

In the complaint, Janjhmera alleged that on Friday, he had come across a WhatsApp message in Gujarat which read, “It is a humble request to all the market shop keepers (of Surat textile market), to deposit market lease amount of Rs 5 lakh (for each textile trader), by March 5. The payment should be done in two cheques, one of Rs 4 lakh for Surat textile market and another of Rs 1 lakh for Bharatiya Janata Party (which is refundable).

Surat Textile Market association has to pay the lease amount to the SMC for the land in which the textile market is functioning. The SMC had given the land on lease for the textile market around 50 years ago for a term period of 99 years, with a condition that the rent charges will be revised after 50 years.

“In 2018, the term period of 50 years ended, and the Surat Municipal corporation had revised the rates to Rs 127 crore. The market association had made a deal with the municipal corporation and asked for some period for newer rates and requested installment facilities,” a shopkeeper said.

Investigating officer in the case, Sub-Inspector P Y Chitte of Salabatpura police station said, “We have arrested the accused today (Saturday). We also talked to some of the office-bearers of the association and found that it Rathod who sent the messages to the shopkeepers. We are yet to find the amount that has been deposited by the shopkeepers…”