After Bhubaneswar & Ganjam, ‘Fake’ Journalists Arrested For Extortion In Odisha’s Burla

Sambalpur: Burla police have arrested two ‘fake’ web portal journalists on charges of demanding extortion money.

The accused persons, identified as Ananda Sandha and Philip Kumar, were arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by Birendra Bagarti at Burla police station on Tuesday.

According to sources, the duo stopped Birendra near a petrol pump while he was leaving Burla police station after appearing before the police in connection with a notice served to him under Section 41(A) of CrPC.

Identifying themselves as mediapersons having good links with some senior police officers/judiciary, they offered to help him and asked him to arrange Rs 50,000 as expenses.

When he expressed his inability to pay the amount, they threatened to implicate him in a rape case, said SDPO Sishu Ranjan Mohapatra.

During the investigation, police seized two identity cards marked as ‘Today First News’ in the name of accused Ananda Sandha and YSN ‘Yuba Shakti News’ in the name of Philip Kumar.

Both the accused persons were booked under Sections 389/506/34 IPC.

Last month, the Commissionerate Police had arrested six fake journalists during a special anti-extortion drive in Bhubaneswar. Three more persons, who had demanded extortion money from a BEO in Ganjam district by posing as journalists were arrested, a day later.