Two Web Journalists Held On Extortion Charge In Odisha Capital

Bhubaneswar: Two web journalists were arrested on charges of extortion and blackmailing at Bharatpur in Odisha capital on Monday.

According to sources, a guest house owner had filed a complaint with police, alleging that the scribes demanded Rs 2 lakh threatening him of a police raid while claiming that an alleged sex racket was being run from there. He approached police when they again demanded another Rs 70,000 from him and submitted an audio recording of the scribes demanding money from him as evidence.

Later, police carried out a search at the guest house. On finding no evidence of the alleged flesh trade, they apprehended the accused journalists.

Last year, web channel editor Sudhanshu Sekhar Rout was arrested by Commissionerate Police on a basis of a complaint lodged by Olympian Dutee Chand. The ace sprinter had accused Rout and an RTI activist Pradip Pradhan of mental harassment, criminal intimidation and publishing obscene content.