TV channel CEO arrested

Bengaluru, April 16: The CEO of a Kannada news channel linked to controversial mining baron G Janardhan Reddy was arrested on charges of extortion, blackmail, and criminal intimidation, police said on Saturday.

Lakshmiprasad Vajpayi, the CEO of Janashri News Channel, was late Friday night while allegedly accepting Rs 10 crore from a businessman whom he had threatened to defame through his channel.

The channel had aired a "negative" news item against the businessman on Friday afternoon, a police officer said.

The channel was started by aides close to mining baron G Janardhan Reddy when he was Karnataka tourism minister.

A police officer said Vajpayi, colluding with some of his colleagues, had demanded Rs 15 crore from the businessman and was caught while accepting the first installment