A popular news anchor of a popular Telugu television channel, which is known for its blatant pro-Telugu Desam Party stand, is understood to have been booked in a criminal case related to extortion of money by the Hyderabad police.
According to sources, the police registered a case against this news anchor, known for his aggressive attacks on YSR Congress party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, on the directions of the Telangana high court.
Along with him, the police also booked a case against this anchor’s associate.
Both were charged with attempting to extort Rs 10 crore from an actor and for breaching an individual’s right to privacy by illegally tapping and broadcasting private phone conversations.
The case was filed based on a petition filed by the actor in the high court.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel urged the court to initiate criminal proceedings against the anchor and his associate for their alleged involvement in the extortion attempt and illegal telecast of private conversations.
After hearing the arguments, the high court directed the police to take necessary legal action against both the accused individuals.
Acting upon the court’s instructions, the police registered a case under Section 308(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 72 of the Information Technology Act, 2008, which deal with attempt to commit extortion and unauthorized disclosure of personal information, respectively.
The police have initiated an investigation into the allegations.
The complaint also accuses the suspects of tapping private phone calls and telecasting them on air, thereby violating the individual’s privacy and defaming the concerned parties.
Further investigation is underway to verify the authenticity of the audio recordings and the circumstances under which the alleged extortion attempt took place, sources said.