Journo held for extortion

A freelance journalist was arrested on Friday for extorting money from a Faridabad businessman, reports HT Correspondent.

A freelance journalist was arrested on Friday for extorting money from a Faridabad businessman.

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Police said Sanjiv Sharma (34) had demanded Rs 10 lakh from the businessman, who was secretly shot in a compromising position with a woman.

Police said Sharma, who worked as a freelance journalist for a Hindi weekly, conspired with a rival businessman of the complainant. The rival owed

Rs 6 lakh to the victim.

“The complainant is a property dealer and had lodged a complaint with the police on March 21,” said a senior police officer.

The businessman initially received a call from a woman posing as an insurance agent.

“He showed no interest but the woman kept calling him and soon the two became friends over the phone. On March 12, she called him to a rented DDA flat at Kalkaji, where they both had consensual sex,” the officer said.

On March 19, the man allegedly received a call from Sharma who threatened to release a CD of him with the woman. He demanded Rs 10 lakh for not making it public.

Police said the complainant managed to strike a deal with the accused for Rs 8 lakh and agreed to pay him Rs 30,000 in cash to know the identity of the person who had conspired against him.

The complainant approached the police on Thursday and Sharma was arrested. The woman was a sex worker.