Gujarat: Former journalist held in extortion case after year on the run

Gandhinagar, June 18 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Thursday arrested a 45-year-old man who had been absconding for nearly a year in connection with an extortion case registered at Adalaj police station in Gandhinagar district, where the accused allegedly demanded money from a spa owner while claiming to be a journalist.

Police identified the accused as Sunil Brahmbhatt, a resident of Hanspura in Naroda of Ahmedabad. He was wanted in a case registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to extortion and criminal intimidation.

According to investigators, the case dates back to 2025, when the owner of a spa centre located in Eklavya Complex in the Khoraj area alleged that Brahmbhatt demanded Rs five lakh and ultimately collected Rs one lakh from him.

A case was subsequently registered at Adalaj police station. The Crime Branch said Brahmbhatt had been evading arrest since the case was filed.

He was traced during a recent investigation and taken into custody before being handed over to the Adalaj police for further legal proceedings.

“He is a former journalist. At the time the incident occurred, he had already been removed from the media outlet he was associated with and is not working as a journalist,” an official told IANS.

Police records show that Brahmbhatt has previously been booked in multiple cases across Gujarat, including allegations of extortion, cheating, criminal intimidation, dacoity, prohibition offences and offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Cases against him have been registered in Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Patan and Kheda districts.

The arrest comes amid a series of extortion investigations in Gujarat involving individuals allegedly misusing media credentials or presenting themselves as journalists.

In April last year, Surat police arrested 10 more individuals who were allegedly posing as journalists in connection with a Rs 22 lakh extortion case involving local industrialists.

Investigators alleged that the group threatened business owners with complaints and adverse publicity before demanding money.

The arrests followed the detention of the main accused and an examination of financial records allegedly linked to the extortion scheme.

In another case, the Vadodara Crime Branch arrested a man in June of the same year for allegedly posing as a journalist and extorting Rs 7 lakh from a person linked to a scrap theft investigation.

Police alleged that the accused threatened to expose those involved and demanded money in exchange for resolving the matter.

Investigators in the Ahmedabad case said further investigation is continuing.

–IANS

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