Journalist arrested for trying to blackmail Union minister Mahesh Sharma

A woman journalist was arrested Monday for allegedly trying to blackmail Union minister and Gautam Budh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma to the tune of ₹2 crore on the pretext of releasing an allegedly ‘objectionable’ video of the politician.

The incident was reported after Sharma called the senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vaibhav Krishna alleging that the woman, Nishu, had come to his office in Kailash hospital with a two-page letter stating that he should pay her and her associates ₹45 lakh by the end of the day and an additional ₹1.55 crore by Wednesday, else they would release the video.

She was working for a local TV news channel, run by her associate Alok Kumar. “The woman was immediately taken into custody. We found a tablet with her in which the 20-minute video, shot on March 24, was saved,” Krishna said.

He said it was a pre-election video and Sharma is purportedly seen with six to seven others, discussing election preparations. Alok Kumar, who shot the video, introduced himself as a PR executive. Kumar was the owner of a local TV news channel, Pratinidhi, which was shut about two years ago due to financial constraints, Krishna said. “He offered to provide Sharma with people and vehicles for electioneering. No mention of any money was made. The minister asked him to use ‘code words’ while referring to any help he was offering. Kumar thought this was “blackmail worthy” material,” the SSP said.

Police said a few days later, Kumar called the minister and demanded ₹2 crore. When the demand was ignored, Nishu was sent to Sharma’s office.

Sharma said, “Alok Kumar came to me on March 24. He said he had a news channel and was opening an office in Sector 63 and wanted me to invest in it. That was my only contact with him. They had nothing on me to blackmail me, I am not even in the video.”

Police said after his channel was shut, Kumar decided to make money by blackmailing politicians. Nishu, a native of Bihar, was an employee of the channel since 2012. “Kumar is on the run. He and his accomplices would target politicians in Delhi and Noida. So far, we know of at least four or five others who were blackmailed in the past few months,” Krishna said.

“When Nishu visited Sharma, she was carrying a recording device. The intent was to use whatever she captured to blackmail him further,” Krishna said.

Police have booked Nishu and Kumar for extortion, cheating and blackmailing. Police are also investigating the role of a Noidabased social activist who had allegedly introduced Sharma to Kumar.