Delhi YouTuber held for extorting businessmen

Police identified the man as Laxman Indoriya and said they arrested one of his sons, Lakshay, for allegedly assaulting and injuring two of the policemen who went to arrest Indoriya

A 52-year-old man who used his YouTube news channel to extort central Delhi businessmen by threatening to hurt their businesses and his son were arrested from the Nabi Karim neighbourhood, Delhi Police said on Thursday.

While Laxman Indoriya and one of his sons were nabbed from the spot and taken to the police station where they were arrested, his other son and wife managed to slip away, police said. (Representative image)

Police identified the man as Laxman Indoriya and said they arrested one of his sons, Lakshay, for allegedly assaulting and injuring two of the policemen who went to arrest Indoriya. Indoriya’s other son, Pragyawan, and wife (whose name police did not reveal), who were also involved in the assault, went on the run, said deputy commissioner of police (central) Sanjay Kumar Sain.

“Indoriya ran a YouTube news channel in Nabi Karim. He was posing as a journalist to extort local businessmen. He would threaten them with running fake and defamatory news against them if they did not pay him,” said the DCP.

Indoriya turned out to have five previous criminal cases – of offences such as criminal intimidation, wrongful restraint and house trespassing – against him, said the officer.

According to police, Indoriya and his associates allegedly visited a restaurant on March 23 in Nabi Karim run by a man named Daulat Ram. “Daulat Ram alleged that Indoriya and his associates visited his restaurant to harass and demand ₹50,000 if he wanted to continue operating his business without trouble. They also issued a death threat to him,” said the DCP. When Daulat Ram refused to pay up, Indoriya allegedly confronted him in the street on March 27 and threatened him, upon which he dialled the police, the officer added.

A case of extortion and issuing death threat for extortion was registered against Indoriya.

When Indoriya got to know of the police complaint against him, he and his sons allegedly confronted him again in the street and beat him up on March 28, said the DCP. Daulat Ram again complained to the police, who registered yet another case against Indoriya – this time on charges of assault and wrongful restraint.

Late Wednesday, when a police team visited Indoriya’s home to ask him to join the investigation, his wife and two sons allegedly blocked the entrance and claimed he wasn’t home, said the DCP. “But when we managed to enter the house to search for Indoriya, we found him hiding in a water tank,” said the DCP.

When Indoriya was served the police notice, he allegedly tore the paper and threw it away. “His wife and sons assaulted the police team, injuring two policemen,” the DCP said. While Indoriya and one of his sons were nabbed from the spot and taken to the police station where they were arrested, his other son and wife managed to slip away, the officer said.