Author: Express News Service
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: February 19, 2003
Two senior executives and journalists
with The Economic Times and Satyam Infoway have been arrested on charges
of extortion filed by the proprietor of a finance company. The accused,
Deputy Manager of The Economic Times, Rishi Chopra (31) and Joseph Prizee
of Satyam Infoway, were arrested on Monday and remanded till February 25.
The First Information Report (FIR)
states that Chopra had told Poonamc-hand Maloo, proprietor of Maloo Finances
and Securities Pvi Ltd, that he was aware that Maloo Finances was involved
in a scandal. He also claimed that complaints had been filed against the
firm with the MRA Margao police station and the Securities Exchange Board
of India.
To bolster his credibility, Chopra
dispatched a charter of 25 questions in interview format to Maloo. Chopra
and Prize also told Maloo that they were aware of another case against
his firm and demanded Rs 1 crore in return for their silence.
The sum was allegedly reduced to
Rs 25 lakh and the duo accepted Rs 5 lakh as the first installment in the
lobby of a five-star hotel on February 3. Chopra and Prize were arrested
in the lobby of the same hotel, where they were waiting for Maloo to deliver
the next instalment on February 17, says Senior Inspector of Police Mohan
Kulkarni.
Rishi has been with The Economic
Times for three years. In a press statement issued on Tuesday, Bhaskar
Das, brand director of The Economic Times, states, "If Chopra has exceeded
his brief in a personal capacity, we condemn any such action. His past
work stands up to scrutiny, and we feel this is one stray instance of a
Machiavellian misadventure with the friend who is a co-accused."
