Pune: 3 ‘Journalists’ Arrested For Blackmailing Gas Agency Manager
Vivek Patil & Mubarak Ansari
Yerwada/Market Yard, 28th August 2021: The Anti-Extortion Cell 2 of the Crime Branch, Pune Police, has arrested three alleged journalists for blackmailing the manager of a gas agency and demanding Rs two lakh to take back their complaint. They had also demanded Rs 5,000 (hafta) per month from him.
Based on the complaint from Yogesh Nagnath Shinde, manager of Samyak Indane gas agency in Shantinagar, Yerwada, an FIR has been registered at Market Yard police station against Maharashtra president of the Samyak Sampadak Patrakar Sangh Suhas Maruti Bansode, who is editor of Samiksha Times, and reporters Moin Ladlesaheb Chaudhary and Wasim Akbar Sheikh.
According to police, citizens go to the concerned gas agency and take the cylinders on their vehicles. It was videotaped by Moin Chaudhary and Wasim Sheikh a month ago. They also took photographs. They then showed the video and photographs and blackmailed the complainant that instead of delivering gas cylinders at home, he tells people to take them on their own. Hence they have lodged a complaint with the Indian Oil company about closing the complainant’s agency. To withdraw the complaint, Shinde was asked to pay Rs two lakh and additionally pay Rs 5,000 per month as hafta.
After getting a complaint from Shinde, the Crime Branch team laid a trap and nabbed the accused persons while accepting Rs two lakh at GS Tower near entrance number nine at Market Yard.
The action was taken under the guidance of DCP (Crime) Shriniwas Ghadge, ACP Laxman Borate and Senior Police Inspector Balaji Pandhare.
The team included PSI Shrikant Chavan and police personnel Sampat Audare, Surendra Jagdale, Shailesh Surve, Sachin Ahiwale, Pradip Shitole, Rahul Uttarkar, Vinod Salunke, Vijay Gurav, Sangram Shingare, Saidoba Bhojrao, Pravin Padwal, Amol Pilane, Chetan Shirolkar, Pradip Gade, Mohan Yelpalle, Asha Kolekar and Rupali Karnawar.
