Journalist arrested in UP, accused of blackmailing BJP leader

A senior journalist, Vinod Verma, was arrested here early on Friday on charges of allegedly blackmailing a BJP leader in Chhattisgarh, police said. Verma denied the charge and said he was being framed.

The Chhattisgarh Police raided the journalist's residence at Indirapuram along with the Uttar Pradesh Police and recovered 500 compact discs (CDs), a pen drive and Rs 200,000 in cash, a police officer here said.

Inspector Sushil Dubey said the Chhattisgarh Police reached the police station "and sought our help to arrest the journalist in a case.

"They told us that a case under sections 384 and 506 of IPC (Indian Penal Code) was registered against the journalist on the complaint of Prakash Bajaj, a BJP leader in Raipur district," Dubey said.

The complainant alleged that Verma had threatened to expose his private life and that the journalist possessed a sex tape which he was using to blackmail him.

"We assisted the (Chhattisgarh) Police. Our role was limited," Dubey told IANS.

As he was being taken away, Verma told fellow journalists that he was being framed. "I am being framed. I have nothing to do with the CDs."

--IANS

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