Owner of Palampur-based news channel arrested for ‘extortion’

The owner of a local news channel in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district has been arrested on the extortion charge by a team from the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, officials said on Wednesday.

Amir Chand Dogra, the owner of the Palampur-based channel, was arrested on Tuesday while accepting Rs 2 lakh after a trap was laid following a complaint lodged by Bhuvnesh Chand Sood.

A resident of Palampur, Sood alleged that Dogra had been extorting money after threatening to defame him by airing a “manipulated” video clip related to a land purchase by his son in the Palampur area.

According to the complaint, Dogra initially demanded Rs 15 lakh and an Audi car for not airing the video and the amount was reduced to Rs 12 lakh after negotiation.

Acting on the complaint, SP (Vigilance) Dharamsala formed a special team, which laid a trap and Dogra was caught red-handed while accepting the first instalment of Rs 2 lakh from the complainant, the officials said.

ASP Badri Singh said that a case of extortion under Section 308(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered at the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau police station in Dharamsala.

Further investigation is underway, the officials added.