Hyderabad: Five persons who claimed to be former journalists and had extorted money from traders and others at Bhongir, were apprehended by the Bhongir (town) police on Sunday.
According to the Bhongir police, the businessmen and members of the public had complained that some people claiming to be journalists working in regional media have been extorting money from them, threatening that they would publish false information about them if they did not pay up.
The police team investigating the matter identified five persons — Prashanth, Bhongir Srinivas, Avinash, Jagadish and Boggu Srinivas — all residents of Yadadri in Bhongir district, as being the culprits.
An official from the Rachakonda commissionerate said the total money extorted has yet to be ascertained but could go up to several lakhs.
The amounts demanded ranged from Rs 1,000 to Rs 30,000.
The accused would be produced before a court for judicial remand today (Sunday).
