Two media personal arrested for alleged extortion in Himachal Pradesh

In an unprecedented incident highlighting the dark side, two media personnel were apprehended by the Himachal Pradesh State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB) today for allegedly accepting bribes from a school functionary. This incident, although first of its kind involving media, underscores a broader issue of alleged kickbacks that has long plagued various sectors.

The arrested media personal, claimed affiliation with social media channels named Khabar Aaj Tak Channel and Ajab Gajab News Channel. According to the official press release by the bureau, the duo were caught extorting ₹50,000 each from the chairman of two schools in Dharamshala. They allegedly threatened to publish false and defamatory news about the schools unless their demands were met.

The complainant, wary of the potential damage to the schools’ reputation, reported the extortion attempt to the Dharamshala Unit of the SV&ACB. Following a thorough verification of the allegations, an FIR was lodged under section 308(2) and 3(5) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for extortion. The anti-corruption team swiftly acted on the complaint, catching the accused red-handed. The authorities recovered ₹25,000 in cash and a cheque of ₹25,000 from each of the duo at the scene.

Both have been arrested, and further investigation is underway, as per the media communique.