The district police have arrested four journalists on the charge of attempting to fleece money by blackmailing a doctor and threatening to kill him.
The arrested have been identified as Prasanna Deshpande, a reporter with a news channel, camerman Sangamesh Kumbara, Ravi Bisanala and Sidramappa Lagali, both reporters for two separate newspapers. The other two accused in the case - Ninganagouda Patil and Asha Lakshmana Jadage are at large.
Addressing a press meet here on Wednesday, Superintendent of Police Prakash Amruth Nikkam said that gang of these six persons hatched a conspiracy to fleece money from Dr Kiran Oswal who runs a sonography clinic in the town. On Tuesday night, they barged into the clinic and accused Dr Oswal of conducting sex-determination test in his clinic.
As a doctor denied the charges, Ravi Bisanala squeezed Rs 20,000 cash into the pocket of Dr Oswal and began video recording. Thereafter, the gang told the doctor to pay Rs 50 lakh else they would air the footage in their news channel and inform the officials concerned also.
Later, they shifted to a hotel where the gang snatched Rs 1.05 lakh cash which was in the pocket of the the doctor. He was told to pay the balance of Rs 9 lakh next day. The journalists threatened to finish off the doctor if the latter disclosed the incident to anyone, the SP said.
However, the doctor lodged complaint on the basis of which the arrests were made. They have been remanded in judicial custody till April 3.
“We have formed a team to nab the other two absconding accused persons,” the SP added.