Chhattisgarh tape row: Court sends Vinod Verma in police custody till Oct 31

A Chhattisgarh local court in Raipur on Sunday remanded senior journalist Vinod Verma in police custody till October 31.

Verma was arrested by Chattisgarh Police in connection with an alleged case of blackmailing and extortion from his residence in Ghaziabad on Friday

The senior journalist in the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class S P Tripathi on Sunday evening, informed Faizal Rizvi, Verma’s lawyer to the media.

He added that Verma has been sent to police custody till October 31 by the court.  He was taken to the court amid tight police security.

According to defence counsel also informed the media that Verma was also moved an application under section 156 (3) of the CrPC in the court, claiming he was framed.

Verma has alleged that two influential Chhattisgarh ministers have hatched a conspiracy against him and CDs were seized from his possession, added Rizvi

Rizvi also claimed that Verma’s life is in threat in the police custody. Meanwhile, several Congress party workers present in the court premises raised slogans in support of the senior journalist.

Also read: Vinod Verma to be presented before special court by Raipur Police

Verma on Friday after his arrest from Ghaziabad had claimed that he has sex tape of Chhattisgarh ministers due to which he is being framed.

According to Raipur Police, a case of blackmail and extortion was registered at the Pandri Police station on complaint by one Prakash Bajaj.

Bajaj in his complaint had said that he was being harassed over the phone by an unidentified caller who told him that he had a CD of his master.

Police claims that during the course of investigation they learnt that Verma was behind the the blackmailing calls. A search team was sent to Delhi and he was arrested. The police also claimed to have recovered 500 porn CDs, a pen-drive and a laptop from his possession.

Soon after the arrest of Verma, a sex video allegedly involving Public Works Department Minister Rajesh Munat surfaced in Raipur triggering a political row between Congress and BJP.  The state government has recommended a CBI probe into the alleged sex CD row.