Paonta Sahib: Two held for extortion

A private company operator has lodged a complaint with the Paonta Sahib police station, accusing two local individuals of extortion. The complainant said Jasvir Singh Hans and Ashok Kumar Bahuta, who allegedly run separate news portals Khabro wala and Ashoka Times, threatened to publish false and misleading news regarding a land-related matter unless he paid them Rs 10 lakh.

According to the complaint, the accused have already extorted Rs 1 lakh from the complainant. The complainant provided audio and video evidence to the police to support his allegations. In response, the police registered a case under sections 308 (2), 356 (2) and 356 (3) of the BNS against the accused and arrested them.

One of the accused, Jasvir Singh Hans, has criminal history, while Ashok Kumar Bahuta has several cases filed against him at the same police station.

Superintendent of Police Raman Kumar Meena said the court has sent both the accused to police remand for three days. Further probe was underway, Meena added.