On the run after extortion FIR, ex-journo caught

Absconding after police booked them for extorting Rs 25 lakh from a doctor, former television journalist Kiran Shanbhag and his associate Jagannath Gowda have been arrested.

The Nelamangala police arrested Shanbhag at a temple in Davangere while Jagannath was apprehended in Bengaluru. Police would seek their custody on Wednesday to investigate whether they had extorted others.

Dr A V Srinivasan, the managing trustee of Sri Paripoorna Sanathana Charitable Trust, had filed a police complaint on April 22, alleging that Shanbhag, who earlier worked for a leading Kannada news channel, had blackmailed him. The organisation runs Sri Paripoorna Sanathana Ayurveda Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre at Arjuna Bettahalli, Nelamangala.

Following the FIR, both Shanbhag and Jagannath had a fight. Shanbhag escaped to Belagavi while Jagannath stayed put in Bengaluru, said Nelamangala DySP Panduranga. Shanbhag moved to Davangere a few days ago. Police got a tip-off and arrested him there.