Yes we went there. We told the labourers to stop work... we slapped a few... Fifteen of us went there on five bikes. I was in front, with Sindhu-da.

We: Anindya Chatterjee's men. There: The house of Santosh Lodh at BD 347.

Sindhu-da: Sindhu Kundu, Chatterjee's associate now behind bars.

I: Biswanath Sarkar, part of Chatterjee's alleged "goonda bahini" (see Page 22) who Metro met on Friday on the Salt Lake court premises.

Anindya Chatterjee, the councillor of Ward 41, was arrested on Tuesday on extortion charges. On Thursday, two of his associates, Sindhu Kundu and Mohammad Nasim, were arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by Santosh Lodh, an elderly Salt Lake resident who said that the councillor's gang had demanded Rs 12 lakh to let him renovate his house.

Biswanath Sarkar, 32, known locally as Batul, and Santu Das, 28, both residents of Duttabad, were waiting anxiously for news of Kundu and Naseem's bail prayer when Metro caught up with them on Friday afternoon. They began by saying their "Sindhu-da" was "being framed" but then they went on to narrate how they intimidate residents of Salt Lake who want to renovate or repair their houses.

Metro: Did you go to Santosh Lodh's BD block house to stop construction work? Did you take away the construction materials stacked there?

Biswanath: Yes we went there. We told the labourers to stop work... we slapped a few as they were taking too much time to leave. The contractor did not dare protest. Fifteen of us went there on five bikes. I was in front, with Sindhu-da. After the labourers left, we took away the cement bags. We went there again and collected the stone chips and the bricks.

Metro: Did you visit Lodh's AE Block house on March 28?

Santu: Both of us went to his house with Anindya-da and Sindhu-da. There were several others with us. We told him that if he wanted to repair his house in BD Block then he needed to pay the councillor. Sindhu-da also told him that he must buy all construction materials from us. The man and his daughters protested. We told him that this is how things work in Salt Lake.

Sindhu-da told them: "Apnader bhalor jonno-i bolchhi. Taka-ta diye din. Maal-o amader thekei neben. Beshi barabari ekdom korben na. Police ke janale amra abar phirey ashbo (We are telling you for your own good. Pay up. Buy construction materials from us. Don't try to act smart. If you inform the police, we will come back)."

Two of us also went to DJ 12 and threatened the labourers there for not buying materials from us. (Later, Debaleen Dhar, the contractor at DJ 12, filed a police complaint and Sindhu was arrested on March 4.)

Metro: How many men like you operate in the area for Anindya Chatterjee?

Biswanath: Sindhu-da employs 40 men. Wherever they see signs that work is about to begin at a house, they inform Sindhu-da and Anindya-da. Anindya-da has his own men. Some babus who stay in Salt Lake also act as Chatterjee's informers. They get cuts. We work on a commission basis.

In case someone paid some money upfront and was not paying the rest, we would go to his house and get the money by any means.

Metro: How many houses have you visited in Salt Lake recently?

Santu: (Smiles) Dada amader kaaj-i eta. Salt Lake-e ektao eent amader anumoti chhara nore na. Jei baritei kaaj hoi amra sekhane pounchhe jai. (Dada, this is our job. Not a single brick moves in Salt Lake without our permission. We go to every single house that is being renovated or repaired).

Metro: Do you charge extra for construction materials?

Santu: We demand money depending on the size of the house. In Salt Lake, everything is costly so why should we not charge more?

For example, a Grade I brick in the market is Rs 10. We charge Rs 10 but it is not always possible to give Grade-I bricks. We often supply Grade-III.

Biswanath: Sometimes, we divide a truckload of sand into two and then send it. We tell the owner we have sent two lorries filled with sand and charge them for it.

Are you a victim ofextortion in Salt Lake? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com