-Express News Service
A Mumbai-based RTI activist, who had sought information on various issues including the Adarsh Society scam, was found unconscious by roadside at Palsana in Surat district on Sunday. He later told the police that he was abducted by a gang in Mumbai.
Santosh Tiwari (42), a former employee of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) who now works as a security consultant for a private firm, was found unconscious by a passer-by, who informed the emergency ambulance services and police. He was rushed to the Surat Civil Hospital.
On regaining consciousness, Tiwari told the police that he was abducted by one Dilawar gang from the Mira Road area of Mumbai on Friday. He said that four persons came to him, introducing themselves as police officers, and asked him to get in a Mahindra Scorpio for questioning in connection with some RTI applications that he had filed. After he entered the vehicle, they allegedly tied his hands and legs, the police said.
He said the four had showed identity cards of the Mumbai Police. Identifying one of them as one Vijay Marwadi, Tiwari said they assaulted him in his private parts while he was kept in a warehouse. He was then taken out and thrown out of the vehicle near NH 8 in Surat district.
Tiwari further alleged that this was a fallout of his RTI applications, which could expose big politicians, including those involved in Adarsh Society scam, the Surat police said, adding that they had informed their Mumbai counterparts about the incident and further investigation was on.