Bharat 24 anchor Shazia Nisar, Amar Ujala journalist Adarsh Jha arrested for extortion, blackmail
Noida: Noida Police have arrested Shazia Nisar, an anchor with Bharat 24, and Adarsh Jha, a digital wing anchor with Amar Ujala, in connection with three FIRs filed on charges of extortion, blackmail, and criminal intimidation.
The arrests were made based on complaints filed by top executives of Bharat 24, including Managing Director Jagdish Chandra, consulting editor Anita Hada, and HR head Anu Sridhar. According to the FIRs, the accused demanded ₹65 crore and allegedly threatened to file false rape cases.
During a police search at Nisar’s residence, authorities recovered ₹34.5 lakh in cash. Both accused were produced before a Gautam Buddha Nagar court and have been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.
According to police reports, the duo initially demanded ₹5 crore but later increased the amount to ₹65 crore. Investigators have obtained audio and video recordings that reportedly document the threats.
Noida Sector-58 police have intensified the probe and are now investigating whether the accused were part of a larger blackmailing syndicate. Authorities believe the case may point to a broader network rather than isolated criminal actions.
The case has sent shockwaves through the media industry, raising serious questions about journalistic ethics, abuse of power, and the moral compass of news professionals.
Speaking to NewsLaundry, Bharat 24 MD Jagdish Chandra said, “The law of the land is taking its own course…she was fighting and threatening not just me but also a number of other senior colleagues, including editor Sayyed Umar, consulting editor Anita Hada, HR head Anu, and a few of the desk and assignment people…everyone was fed up of her."
Just hours before the arrest, Nisar was reportedly terminated from her position at the channel.
Shazia Nisar previously worked with Republic Bharat and had gained notoriety for her dramatic on-ground reporting during the Russia-Ukraine war. One of her videos from that coverage had gone viral.
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Bridge portion collapses on Jammu outskirts; 3-4 labourers feared trapped, 1 rescued
Jammu (PTI): A portion of a small bridge collapsed in the Bantalab area on the outskirts of Jammu city on Friday, trapping at least three to four labourers under the debris, while one injured worker was rescued, official sources said.
Authorities have closed the road link following the collapse of the portion of the bridge.
The incident occurred when labourers were carrying out repair work on a retaining wall near the bridge that was damaged in last year's flash floods, the sources said.
According to the sources, a section of the bridge suddenly gave way, burying workers engaged at the site under the rubble.
Police, Army and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams launched rescue operations to extricate those buried under the debris. They pulled out one injured labourer and shifted him to a hospital, the sources said.
Family members of the labourers present at the site said around six workers engaged at the site at the time of the incident came under the debris when the structure collapsed. The family members said while two of the labourers managed to escape, four got trapped.
The sources said those trapped included the husband of a woman labourer, a mason, an unmarried labourer and a relative of the contractor.
There was no official confirmation on the exact number of persons trapped under the debris till the filing of this report.
The rescue operations are ongoing.
