Surat: AAP Youth Wing General Secretary and His Associate Arrested for Alleged Extortion From Ration Shop Owners

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) youth wing general secretary Shravan Joshi and one of his associates have been arrested by the Special Operations Group (SOG) on charges of allegedly extorting money from government fair-price ration shop owners.

According to police, videos were shown to shopkeepers to intimidate and harass them, following which demands for monthly payments were made. A one-time settlement of Rs 3.5 lakh was reportedly negotiated, out of which Rs 1 lakh was collected on the spot. Further investigation is underway.

Surat, Gujarat: Surat SOG police arrested Aam Aadmi Party youth wing general secretary Shravan Joshi and one associate on charges of extorting bribes from government fair-price ration shop owners. Police said videos were allegedly used to harass shopkeepers, followed by demands… pic.twitter.com/4JmFDIgEUC

— IANS (@ians_india) December 30, 2025

The arrests were made after a complaint was filed against the AAP's Shravan Joshi and his associate Sampat Chaudhary in Surat. Joshi reportedly wore the AAP scar, visited ration shops and use to threaten to cancel licenses and demand money in the name of "settlement".

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The alleged extortion racket came to light after a shopkeeper recorded a live video showing Sampat Chaudhary taking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh in cash. In another video, Chaudhary admitted to collecting Rs 25,000 instalments from shopkeepers under Joshi's instruction. Based on these recordings, police have arrested both accused and initiated legal proceedings.

Surat, Gujarat: Surat SOG police arrested Aam Aadmi Party youth wing general secretary Shravan Joshi and one associate on charges of extorting bribes from government fair-price ration shop owners. Police said videos were allegedly used to harass shopkeepers, followed by demands… pic.twitter.com/4JmFDIgEUC

— IANS (@ians_india) December 30, 2025

According to Bhaskar English, the accused demanded monthly instalments from at least nine shops. Each shop owner was reportedly asked to give Rs 25,000 per month. The total extortion done by the accused was Rs 3.50 lakh