Two more fake journalists arrested for extortion in Odisha

Sambalpur: Two persons posing themselves as journalists were arrested on charges of demanding extortion money, informed Burla SDPO today.

The accused persons have been identified as Ananda Sandha and Philip Kumar.

They were apprehended based on a complaint lodged by a person Birendra Bagarti at the Burla Police Station on Tuesday.

According to reports, Bagarti was targeted by two fake media persons near a petrol pump in front of the Burla Police Station after appearing before the police in connection with a notice served to him under section 41(A) of CrPC yesterday.

While he was leaving the police station, Ananda and Philip introduced themselves as journalists . The duo asked him to arrange Rs 50,000 as expenses to release him from the case.

When the complainant expressed his inability to pay the amount, both the accused persons threatened him to implicate him in a rape case, said SDPO Sishu Ranjan Mohapatra.

The police seized two Identity cards issued by a media organisation “Today First News, Odisha” and another by YSN “Yuba Shakti News” in the name of Ananda Sandha and Philip Kumar respectively.

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

Last month, six fake journalists were arrested in a special anti-extortion drive in Bhubaneswar. A day after the incident, three more persons identifying themselves as journalists were held by the Buguda Police on charges of demanding extortion money from a BEO in Ganjam district.