The Hindu : New Delhi News : Scribe among three nabbed on blackmailing charge

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 19, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Scribe among three nabbed on blackmailing charge

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MAY 18. Three persons, including a journalist from a small newspaper, have been arrested by the Crime Branch of the Delhi police for allegedly blackmailing a contractor by threatening to make public his photographs with a girl in a compromising position.

According to the police, a contractor of Pushp Vihar, South Delhi, had established a physical relationship with a young girl. He had himself shot some photographs in compromising position with her. However, some of these photographs were stolen.

A few days later, a person -- who introduced himself as Surender, the Bureau Chief of "Kanchan Express", an afternoon newspaper -- approached the contractor and showed him the copies of the same photographs. He demanded Rs. 20 lakhs from him in lieu of giving back two original photographs and also threatened to show them to his family if he did not pay up.

The contractor approached the police. Surender had asked the contractor to pay him the amount in a park at Sunder Nagar in South Delhi on Monday. As the contractor gave money to Surender, the waiting police team nabbed him. At his instance, two more persons, Jawahar and Chander Pal, were also arrested. Some more objectionable photographs were recovered from them.

Interrogation revealed that Chander Pal is the rival contractor of the victim and had conspired to extort money from him after managing to get hold of the photographs. Jawahar, a mechanic, had stolen the photographs from the complainant's house.

Constable found dead

A 38-year-old constable of the Central Reserve Police Force was found murdered under highly mysterious circumstances at Najafgarh in South-West Delhi today.

According to the police, the body of Suresh, a constable deployed with the 14th battalion of the CRPF, was found in Najafgarh drain on Dichaon road around 6-30 a.m. There were injury marks on his head. His scooter was also found nearby.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Suresh, who had been posted in Manipur along with his battalion, had come to Delhi 10 days ago with the some documents. He was staying in his house at Baba Hari Das Marg in Najafgarh. On Monday evening, he left on his scooter around 8-30 p.m. after telling his family members that he was headed to the Jharonda Kalan camp of the CRPF and would return in about an hour or so. However, he did not return and the family members began a frantic search for him. But to no avail.

A passerby discovered the body today morning after which he informed the police. Since his belongings, Rs. 50 in cash which was kept in his wallet, were found intact, robbery does not seem to be the motive.

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