Two people identifying themselves as journalists and allegedly operating a social media news channel were arrested by Kadeem Jalna police for allegedly threatening to defame a private hospital and extorting ₹10,000 from it, police said. The accused have been identified as Nikita Kale and Sachin Sarve, residents of Jalna.

2 YouTubers Held For Extorting ₹10,000 From Jalna Hospital | Representative Image

Jalna: Two people identifying themselves as journalists and allegedly operating a social media news channel were arrested by Kadeem Jalna police for allegedly threatening to defame a private hospital and extorting ₹10,000 from it, police said.

The accused have been identified as Nikita Kale and Sachin Sarve, residents of Jalna.

According to a complaint lodged by Dr Baliram Bagal of Sanjivani Multispeciality Hospital on the Ambad-Mantha bypass road, a patient was admitted to the hospital from August 11 to 15 for treatment.

The patient was admitted under the Ayushman Bharat and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana schemes. The patient's wife and a relative associated with the health scheme had given written statements that they had not incurred any expenditure for the treatment, the complaint stated.

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According to the complaint, on September 15, Bagal received a message from an unknown mobile number. As the number was unfamiliar, he did not respond.

The following day, he allegedly came across a social media post accusing the hospital of taking money from patients. The post appeared to be associated with “N K News”, according to the complaint.

When Bagal contacted the number, a woman allegedly identified herself as Nikita Kale and claimed to be a journalist. She allegedly visited the hospital along with Sarve and told Bagal that they had received a complaint against the hospital.

Kale allegedly claimed that she had evidence against the hospital and threatened to make it viral. She also allegedly threatened to approach the administration, which could lead to criminal action against the hospital for alleged fraud and cheating, the complaint stated.

The hospital's HR manager, Shailesh Joshi, allegedly paid ₹10,000 near the hospital to prevent its alleged defamation. The accused subsequently left the spot and allegedly deleted the social media post, the complaint stated.

Based on the complaint, Kadeem Jalna police arrested Kale and Sarve and launched an investigation.

The police registered a case under Sections 308(2) (extortion), 356(2) (defamation), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and other relevant sections.

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