Mumbai: The Kashimira police are on the lookout for a self-proclaimed journalist who has been extorting money from local orchestra bar owners by issuing threats of getting their establishments raided for their alleged involvement in illegal activities.
According to the police, they received a complaint from Uday Shetty- a bar owner and secretary of the local hotel association that a person identified as- Jayesh Sawant left his mobile number with the watchman of his hotel, Night City – a ladies-cum-orchestra bar in Kashimira.
When the complainant called on the number, Sawant received the call and identified himself as the reporter of a popular national news channel. With claims that he had video clips of the indecent activities that were going inside the bar, Sawant demanded Rs 70,000 for not airing the clips on the channel. Shetty refuted his charges and asked him to send the video clips.
However, Sawant refused and continued demanding money. Notably, instead of seeking cash, he asked the complainant to transfer the money to a specified digital wallet. Fearing unnecessary controversy, Shetty transferred Rs 25,000 to a G-Pay account.
However, it later came to light that Sawant had been fleecing money from other bar owners by using a similar modus operandi and calling up the control room allegedly with frivolous complaints, following which the association members decided to register a police complaint.
An offence under section 384 (extortion) of the IPC has been registered against Sawant at the Kashimira police station. Further investigations were on.
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