Woman held for blackmailing Union minister Mahesh Sharma

A woman was held for allegedly threatening Union minister Mahesh Sharma to make public an "objectionable video" of him with some people from a preelection meeting, police said. The woman in question here is a part of a gang helmed by a man who ran a local news channel.

Noida (UP): A 22-year-old woman was arrested here Monday for allegedly demanding Rs 2 crore from Union minister Mahesh Sharma after threatening to make public an "objectionable" video from a preelection meeting of the BJP leader, police said.

The woman is allegedly part of a gang helmed by a man who ran a local news channel that was shut down after demonetisation, they said.

The video in question related to a preelection meeting of Sharma with some people which the gang had threatened to share with the media, a senior police official said.

The woman reached Kailash Hospital, run by Sharma, today (Monday) with a letter from her boss. She sought Rs 45 lakh of the Rs two crore in cash, immediately after which Sharma alerted police," Senior Superintendent of Police, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Vaibhav Krishna told reporters.

"A police team soon reached the hospital and the woman was arrested after questioning this evening," Krishna added.

The SSP said prima facie the gang was running this extortion racket for some time now and has targeted other people also.

Sharma had informed the police about receiving a phone call from a man who said he had an "objectionable" video of his and demanded "a huge sum on money" for not making it public, the official said.

The man, identified as Aalok Kumar, had sent the woman to Sharma's hospital Monday afternoon with a letter which stated that Rs 45 lakh should be given by this evening and the remaining amount within the next two days, Krishna said.

About the footage, the Noida police chief said, "when investigated it was found that the blackmailer's claim of it being objectionable were unfounded and were only to create pressure. It was a normal video where the minister was purportedly heard talking to some people."

"We have studied that audio-video and nothing objectionable has come out of it so far. We will get it reviewed in detail," the SSP added.

"After the quizzing of the woman, a nexus of sorts appears to be emerging through which this gang of thugs has targeted some other influential people also," he said, adding the police were cross-checking the details with other targets also.

A tablet computer, which had the footage, was seized from the women during her arrest from the hospital, he said.

The arrested woman told police that the kingpin of the gang was running a private news channel "Pratinidhi" which was shut down due to lack of finances after demonetisation in 2016, he said.

The arrested woman, a resident of Noida, told police that she worked in the news channel as a journalist till it was shut down, he said.

At least five-six members of the gang have been identified and a case was being registered against them and the arrest of all involved in the blackmailing would be ensured, Krishna said.