Fake Journalists Arrested for Extortion Attempt on Pawnshop Owner

Eight men falsely claiming to be journalists attempted to extort money from Justin Raj, a pawn shop owner, by accusing him of usury. These impostors demanded Rs 1 lakh to prevent publishing a damaging article. When Raj refused, they stole Rs 5,000. All eight were arrested after Raj filed a complaint.

A group of eight individuals masquerading as journalists was arrested for attempting to extort money from a pawn shop owner in Puthukadai, according to police reports.

The men, claiming representation from a Tamil magazine, approached shop owner Justin Raj with allegations of offering high-interest loans. They demanded Rs 1 lakh to prevent the story from being published.

Upon Raj's refusal to pay the extortion money, the impostors forcibly took Rs 5,000 from him. The swift response by Kanyakumari district police, led by Superintendent R Stalin, resulted in the arrest of all suspects, identified as Antony, Sunil, Lal, Selvaraja, Suresh Gopi, Belwin Jose, Manikandan, and Sagaya Bosco.