VIJAYAWADA: Four scribes working with vernacular media houses were arrested for allegedly blackmailing and extorting money from a municipality employee in Nuzvid on Friday night. Following a complaint lodged by the employee R Apparao, Nuzvid Police laid a trap and caught the four accused red-handed.
According to the police, the accused were identified as G Nagaraju, K Ravi, M Kishore and D Venkanna who hailed from Jangareddygudem village near Nuzvid. To earn quick money and meet their luxurious lifestyle, they chose extortion as an easy way, it said.
The police said that the scribes had earlier shot a video in which Apparao was seen taking Rs 850 from an applicant for issuing a birth certificate. They used that video and demanded him to pay Rs 75,000, failing which, they threatened Apparao that the video would be uploaded online, the police added.
Unable to bear their torment, Apparao approached Nuzvid CI M Ram Kumar and lodged a complaint against the journalists explaining all the details pertaining to the issue. “With Apparao’s cooperation, we laid a trap on Friday night and caught the four accused red-handed and the accused were produced in the court,” Ram Kumar said.
Journos demanded Rs 75,000
The police said the scribes had earlier shot a video in which Apparao, the municipality employee, was seen taking Rs 850 from an applicant for issuing a birth certificate. The scribes used that video and demanded him to pay Rs 75,000