Four men who allegedly posed as journalists and police officers to extort money from a man after falsely implicating him in a ganja case have been arrested in Karnataka's Belagavi district.
The accused allegedly threatened the victim with arrest and demanded up to Rs 3 lakh, warning that he would be sent to Hindalga Central Jail if he failed to pay.
Police said the victim eventually paid Rs 60,000 before approaching authorities with a complaint.
How The Alleged Extortion Plot Unfolded
According to police, the incident took place on July 18 at around 5:00 pm.
The complainant, Mehboob Babusab Jamadar, alleged that a man approached him and forced him to buy two packets of ganja for Rs 1,000.
Shortly afterwards, four men arrived in a car and allegedly introduced themselves as police personnel and journalists. They took Mehboob to a nearby sugarcane field, accused him of selling ganja and opened the packets in front of him.
Police said the accused then recorded photographs and videos while pretending to conduct an official police raid.
Threats, Demand For Money
The accused later allegedly forced Mehboob into their vehicle and brought him near the Hukkeri Police Station in Belagavi's Hukkeri town.
There, they allegedly threatened to register a criminal case against him and send him to Hindalga Central Jail unless he paid them money.
According to police, the group initially demanded between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3 lakh. Fearing arrest, Mehboob allegedly handed over Rs 60,000 in cash.
However, when he failed to arrange the remaining amount, the accused allegedly uploaded the video on a social media platform operated under the name "GD TV" in an attempt to pressure him further and recover the rest of the money.
Following Mehboob's complaint, the Police registered the case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Treating the case as a priority, a special team launched an investigation.
Police traced and arrested all four accused in Belagavi on Friday.
The arrested accused have been identified as Kallappa Basavanni Malaj, Mallikarjun Siddappa Julfi, Prithviraj Narayan Chauhan and David Jacob Tangeral.
According to police, the accused were operating as YouTubers and allegedly posed as both journalists and police officers to extort money from people.
Vehicles, Phones And Cash Seized
Police said they seized the car allegedly used in the crime, a Hero HF Deluxe motorcycle, two mobile phones and Rs 34,000 in cash suspected to be part of the extorted amount.
The accused were produced before the Court in Hukkeri and remanded to judicial custody.
Further investigation is underway.
