Fake TRP scam: Names of two more channels crop up during probe
Mumbai:The names of two more TV channels have surfaced during the investigation of alleged fake Television Rating Points (TRP) scam, police said on Wednesday.
While one is a news channel, the other one is an entertainment channel, the official said.
"During the investigation, it came to light that these two channels were also involved in fixing the TRP by paying money to households for watching them," he said.
"While investigating the fake TRP racket, the police have added fresh sections of IPC, including 174, 179, 201, 204," he said.
According to the official, the police had earlier registered an offence under section 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 120(B), 34 of IPC in the case, he said adding the crime branch submitted the letter to the court about adding new sections.
Earlier three channels, including Republic TV, was found allegedly involved in the TRP racket.
Meanwhile the probe team on Wednesday once again recorded statements of Republic TV CFO S Sundaram and executive editor Niranjan Narayanswami, he said.
The alleged fake TRP scam came to light when ratings agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint with the police through Hansa Research Group, alleging that certain channels were rigging TRP numbers to lure advertisers.
It was alleged that some families at whose houses meters for collecting data of viewership were installed were being bribed to tune into a particular channel.
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Man held for blackmailing woman using explicit photos, videos
Bengaluru (PTI): A 46-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly blackmailing a woman using her explicit photos and videos to force her into a sexual relationship with him, police said on Saturday.
The accused, Haniyur Chandregowda, is a member of the Child Welfare Committee in Ramanagara, they said.
Obscene photos of several other women were also found on his mobile phone during examination, police said.
The case came to light after a 43-year-old woman, who works as a make-up artist, filed a complaint at the Rajarajeshwari Nagar police station on April 30, they said.
According to FIR, the woman met Chandregowda in 2021. He told her he was connected to TV serials and took her phone number on the pretext of offering make-up work. The woman had been living separately from her husband for about eight years.
The accused started visiting her house frequently and told her he was a lecturer with a good salary and promised to marry her and entered into a physical relationship with her, she alleged.
Police said Chandregowda later used private photos and videos of their intimate moments to threaten her. He allegedly warned that he would make them public if she did not agree to his demands, and continued the relationship under pressure.
The FIR also stated that in 2024, he rented a house using the woman's documents by falsely claiming to be her husband.
The woman also alleged that he used a fake ID claiming he was a Superintendent of Police to avoid paying toll fees.
She claimed that he had taken around Rs 5 lakh from her since 2021 and had not returned the money.
The FIR further stated that he added his name to the educational documents of the woman's daughter, pretending to be her husband.
Based on the complaint, a case under sections 69 (sexual intercourse by deceitful means) and 204 (impersonating a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered. He was later arrested, a senior police officer said.
