Journalists Shazia Nisar & Adarsh Jha Arrested For Blackmail & Extortion Of Bharat24 CMD
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Journalists Shazia Nisar and Adarsh Jha were arrested by Noida Police for allegedly blackmailing Bharat24 CMD Jagdish Chandra with a fake rape case threat and extorting money. Both are now in judicial custody.
Noida police arrested two journalists, Shazia Nisar, a former anchor at Bharat24, and Adarsh Jha, a digital journalist, for allegedly blackmailing the channel’s 75-year-old CMD, Jagdish Chandra, and extorting over Rs 2.26 crore from him.
Nisar reportedly demanded Rs 65 crore by threatening to file a false rape case.
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According to the police, Jagdish Chandra, who is also the Chief Editor and CEO of Bharat24, filed the FIR. In his complaint, he mentioned that Nisar had been working with the channel since 2022.
She allegedly threatened to falsely accuse him of rape and claimed she would commit suicide if he did not pay her Rs 65 crore. Chandra stated that he had already paid her Rs 2.26 crore via cheques over the past year and had recordings to back up his claims.
The FIR stated,
“Shazia Nisar, 30, has been working as an anchor in my channel since 2022. She has been blackmailing me by threatening to implicate me in a false rape case and commit suicide. She has been illegally demanding Rs 60 crore from me. In the last year, she has taken Rs 2 crore 26 lakh through cheques several times. I have evidence of this (transaction). Adarsh Jha… is helping her blackmail me.”
Adarsh Jha was named in the FIR as Nisar’s accomplice. The police reported that the two were attempting to extort a total of Rs 65 crore. The complaint was filed on June 8.
SHO Amit Kumar said,
“When asked about the money in her account, she (Nisar) did not have a proper explanation for it… it was a compensation, she told us.”
Two additional complaints were filed against Nisar by Bharat24’s consulting editor Anita Hada and HR head Anushri Dhar.
Hada dismissed Nisar’s claims of harassment, stating,
“Had that been the case, she would have filed a complaint. I would have supported her.”
When asked why the company paid Nisar instead of going to the police earlier, Hada replied, “We were worried about the company’s reputation being damaged.”
After the FIRs, police raided Nisar’s home in Delhi, seizing Rs 34.5 lakh in cash, three mobile phones, two laptops, and a Scorpio vehicle. A raid was also conducted at Jha’s residence in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, where he was arrested.
Both journalists were presented in court and sent to 15 days of judicial custody.
The police have also named Nisar’s mother in one of the FIRs for her alleged involvement, but she has not been arrested yet.
Station House Officer Amit Kumar confirmed that investigations are ongoing to determine if others are part of this alleged blackmail scheme.
