Mysuru: Trio held for trying to blackmail surgeon

MYSURU: Three women are cooling their heels in jail, for attempting to blackmail a neurosurgeon.
Self-styled human rights activists and reporters of ‘Suvarna Kaveri Express’, Amreen Sania, Shahida and Ayusha Bai, hatched a plan to extort money from KR Hospital’s neurosurgeon Dr Rajesh T S, and blackmailed him to regarding his alleged act of receiving favour from patients, to offer service.
Accordingly, one of them telephoned him on his mobile number on January 18, and claimed they have received complaints against him from patients and their relatives, of receiving money from them, to provide them treatment. She threatened to disclose the complaint in the media, and summoned him to a nearby hotel at KR Hospital, where they demanded Rs 5 lakh from him, if he didn’t want the information they had, to appear in the media.
Mandi police said Rajesh pleaded with them, that he doesn’t have the money. He was again threatened over phone by another person, during the meeting with the women at the hotel. Finally, they made a settlement for Rs 50,000, and the surgeon agreed to give them the amount at a particular place.
The neurosurgeon later informed the police about the bid to blackmai him, leading to the arrest of the accused.
Deputy commissioner of police (law and order) A N Prakash Gowda told TOI that the women are first-time offenders, and don’t have any criminal records. They’re a part of an organised gang. The key player is in Bengaluru, and a search is on for him, he said.
The trio has been charged with extortion and cheating under sections of the IPC, and for resorting to violence against medicare service personnel, under the Medicare Services Institution Act 2009.