No surprise at Rekkha’s arrest episode

Modi was arrested for making threat calls to actress Smriti Z. Irrani. And on Monday morning, more than 25 housewives and children clamoured to say their piece. On four previous occasions, the 200 residents have registered complaints against her at the Malad police station, for turning off the building water supply and refusing to pay the monthly maintenance tab.

‘‘We’ve been living off tankers for four months while they stock up on giant Bisleri bottles,’’ says building resident Raveena Shinde. They claim Rekkha’s father Sushil Kumar Modi used his BMC contacts and stalled the supply to harass them.

Sushil, in turn, produces copies of complaints he’s filed with the Malad police. ‘‘It’s the society residents who are threatening my daughter,’’ he asserts.

Senior PI at the Malad Police Station Nandkumar Madne agrees, ‘‘There have been complaints from both parties of a civil nature.’’

Flat owners claim that the cops have even clobbered the building watchman at Rekkha’s behest and that she repeatedly threatened their children. Apparently, the Kyunki… scriptwriter refuses to attend society meetings and has not paid maintenance charges since they moved in.

‘‘We’ve requested them to pay, but she always retorts, ‘Don’t come begging to me, I have big contacts at Balaji’,” says Kamini Rajan, mother of a 13-year-old boy who Modi allegedly threatened.

In the next few days, all flat owners at Nariyadwala colony Malad, are planning a morcha against her, by submitting a memorandum to the local DCP. ‘‘Until now people were scared, but following the Smriti incident, they’ve found the courage to speak against her because she’s been exposed,’’ says Yogesh Varma, a BJP worker who’s been assisting the building residents.

(Some names have been changed on request)