Senior journo Vinod Verma arrested on extortion charges

Ghaziabad, Oct 27: Senior journalist Vinod Verma, who was arrested on alleged charges of extortion and blackmailing in wee hours of Friday, was produced before a local court to get his transit remand in Chhattisgarh. Verma is currently associated with the media cell of Chhattisgarh Congress unit. He was arrested from his Mahagun Mansion Apartments, located in Vaibhav Khand of Indirapuram, at around 0330 hrs, by a joint team of Chhattisgarh and UP police. According to the Ghaziabad SSP, Rs 2 lakh in cash, CDs and other incriminating documents were recovered from his residence. A senior police official from Raipur said one Prakash Bajaj had filed an FIR against Verma at Pandri police station in Chhattisgarh, alleging him of making threatening calls and trying to blackmail him. Taking to reporters, Verma said he was being falsely implicated since the Chhattisgarh government was 'not happy with him'. The former BBC journalist said, 'I was not served any notice, prior to the arrest. I just have a pen drive. I have nothing to do with the CD. Police itself got the CD,' he alleged. A senior journalist, who accompanied Verma to the police station, said he was arrested for the possession of a CD, which contained some incriminating material against a Chhattisgarh Minister. Former journalist and AAP leader Ashutosh came out in support of Verma on Twitter. In a series of posts, he said, 'Vinod Verma Ex BBC n Amar Ujala Digital Editor has been picked up most mysteriously by UP N Chhatttisgarh Police 3.30am. Attack on press?' The AAP leader further posted in Hindi, 'Patrakaar ab bhi nahi jaage to sab maare jayenge. Fasiwad munadi dekar nahi aata (If journalists do not wake up even now, all will be killed. Fascism does not come with announcement). Verma is now a member of Editors Guild of India. He was formerly associated with Amar Ujala. UNI