Defamatory reports used for extortion, 3 arrested in Rajkot

Rajkot: The detection of crime branch (DCB) sleuths arrested three persons, including two ‘journalists’, in connection with an extortion case on Thursday.

According to the complaint filed by Vijay Padaliya with crime branch, he had bought a plot on University Road in Rajkot, where a building was later built and a hospital run by his daughter was set up.

Padaliya alleged that one of the ‘journalists’ published a news report on Oct 7, 2025, questioning the legality of the hospital and saying that a private hospital was operating from a residential building. The following day, another report was published in a newspaper accusing a BJP leader of misconduct near the residence of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani and alleging illegal construction linked to the hospital.

The complainant stated that defamatory reports continued to appear on multiple occasions.

According to the FIR, Padaliya later received a call from an unknown number demanding Rs 3 lakh to “settle” the matter. Though he refused, claiming he had done nothing illegal, the pressure continued.

Padaliya further alleged that in Nov 2025, an unidentified person visited his office claiming to have been sent by another journalist, and demanded Rs 50,000 to “stop the publication of negative news reports”. The person allegedly threatened that continued reports would defame him to the extent that he would be forced to leave Rajkot or commit suicide.

The complaint also alleged that the second journalist later visited Padaliya’s office and demanded Rs 1 lakh to stop publishing reports related to the hospital.

Police said another allegedly defamatory report was published on March 22. Investigators suspect the two journalists worked together, while the third person allegedly assisted in making illegal demands for money.

Deputy commissioner of police Jagdish Bangarwa said one of the ‘journalists’ has previous criminal cases of extortion registered at Kuwadwa Road police station and Cyber Crime police station in Rajkot. Bangarwa said he had earlier been accused in a case involving the installation of a spy camera disguised as a bulb at a clinic on Sadhu Vaswani Road.

He added that the third accused also has a previous case registered against him under Section 135 of the Gujarat Police Act at Rajkot’s B Division police station.

A case has been registered under Sections 308(4), 356 and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, for extortion, defamation and abetment.