Fake journalist arrested for extortion, thrashing trader in Paharganj

When Indoriya came to know that the businessman had reported the matter to the police, he got infuriated and along with his two sons accosted the victim and his friend in front of a temple on Qutub Road.Indoriya and his son thrashed the victim and his friend and asked his wife to make a misleading PCR call to give the incident a different colour, a senior police officer said.

A 52-year-old man posing as a journalist was arrested along with his son for allegedly trying to extort Rs 50,000 from a businessman and later beating him up for reporting the matter to police, police said on Thursday. Laxman Indoriya and his 26-year-old son Lakshay Indoriya have been arrested while Laxman's wife and second son Pragyawan are absconding and efforts are on to arrest them, they said. Indoriya threatened the businessman that he will defame him by posting fake news related to his business and other interests. But when he came to know that he reported the matter to police, Indoriya with his sons thrashed him with plastic pipes and iron rods, police said. The matter was reported at Nabi Karim Police Station by the businessman on March 27, they said. In his complaint, the victim, who runs a restaurant in Ram Nagar Market, alleged that a man named Laxman Indoriya was harassing him and demanding Rs 50,000.

According to the complainant, on March 23, Indoriya with a few associates of his came to his restaurant and demanded Rs 50,000 and threatened to kill him if he did not pay up.

On March 27, Indoriya again accosted him at a cinema hall, demanded Rs 50,000 and repeated the death threat. After this incident, the businessman reported the matter to police, which lodged an FIR. ''When Indoriya came to know that the businessman had reported the matter to the police, he got infuriated and along with his two sons accosted the victim and his friend in front of a temple on Qutub Road.

''Indoriya and his son thrashed the victim and his friend and asked his wife to make a misleading PCR call to give the incident a different colour,'' a senior police officer said. When a team of police reached Indoriya's house for enquiry, his wife and two sons -- Lakshya and Pragywan – refused to let them in and lied that Indoriya was not in, the officer said.

Police searched the house and found Indoriya hiding under a water tank on the terrace, he said. When police tried to serve a notice to Indoriya, he tore and threw it. Indoriya, his wife, and two sons also assaulted Head Constables Shashank and Vijyant, but were overpowered and apprehended.

The two policemen were sent to Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for medical examination, the officer added. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Sanjay Sain said during interrogation of Laxman Indoriya at the police station, it emerged that he has previously been involved in five cases under charges of wrongful restraint, house trespass, criminal intimidation etc and has been arrested thrice.

''During interrogation, it emerged that he used to run a YouTube channel IPPCI Media-24x7 News Network and posed himself as a journalist to extort businessmen, shopkeepers by threatening them to defame them by posting fake news affecting their businesses,'' he said. The iron road and plastic pipe he used to beat the trader and his friend has been recovered, the DCP said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)