Two Web Channel Scribes Held For Extortion Bid In Odisha’s Nabarangpur

Nabarangpur: Police have arrested two scribes of a web channel for allegedly trying to extort money from a schoolteacher in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district.

The arrested have been identified as Jitendra Kumar Das, Odisha head of Focus on Nation and Shankar Prasad Turuk of News-6.

Briefing the media on Sunday, DSP, Umerkote, Dinesh Nayak said that the headmaster of Nayakaguda Upper Primary School Bhakta Nayak had lodged a complaint against three journalists of a web channel.

“The complainant had alleged that the three journalists had threatened to carry a news item against him if he did not cough up Rs 50,000. Panicked by the threat, he had transferred Rs 30,000 to their account through PhonePe app. When he expressed his inability to pay the remaining amount, they hurled abuses at him” the DSP said.

He said that police arrested two journalists while efforts are on to nab another journalist Nigam Sahu of Yuva Shakti News, who has absconded.

“Investigation is on to ascertain whether the accused had committed similar offences in the past,” the DSP added.

The victim has reportedly handed over Rs 5000 in addition to the online payment.