New Delhi, March 22: Three people posing as cyber journalists were arrested in south Delhi for blackmail and an attempt to extort money from a man running a maternity centre, police said Tuesday. They earlier cheated MPs and businessmen.
Pankaj Gupta, 26, kingpin of the extortion syndicate, Raj Narain Tiwari, 33, and Rajiv Kumar, 31, were held near Ashram flyover March 19.
“Vijender Kumar, a resident of Mayur Vihar in east Delhi, made a complaint on March 17 that a man claiming to be a journalist called him on March 10 and threatened to do a story against his clinic for illegal medical termination of pregnancy and also asked him to scan their website www.dellitoday.com,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Ashok Chand.
When Vijender Kumar checked the website, he found that there was a sting operation story “Kalyug ke Bhagwan” exposing another clinic allegedly involved in illegal activities, police said.
Kumar, whose family owns a clinic and maternity centre in Kondli area of east Delhi which is registered for conducting abortions, told police that the caller demanded Rs.10 lakh for hushing up the matter.
“The two sides finally settled for a payment of Rs.6.5 lakh and out of that Rs.50,000 was to be paid immediately,” said Chand.
“We laid a trap and called the extortionist near Ashram flyover in south Delhi to give Rs.50,000. Two people – Pankaj Gupta and Raj Narain Tiwari – were held from the spot,” he said.
Rajiv Kumar was arrested later from Madhu Vihar in east Delhi.
During interrogation, they told police that they planned to extort money from five other clinics, hospitals and nursing homes in the east Delhi.
“The owners of these clinics, hospitals and nursing homes have been examined and they confirmed receiving calls from the extortion syndicate,” said Chand.
They visited clinics and with the help of camera hidden in key ring prepared videos. “They talked to the staff and doctors of the clinic for conducting abortion. Later they uploaded the video on their website and contacted the clinic owners for money,” said Chand.
“They also cheated MPs in 2007 and extorted money from cooking gas agency owners in 2005,” said Chand.
–Agencies