Ex-Journalist Arrested for Rs 15 Lakh Extortion Attempt on Bengaluru Police Inspectors

• Former Bengaluru journalist Sharath Sharma Kalagaru arrested for allegedly attempting to extort Rs 15 lakh from three police inspectors.
• Sharath threatened to air reports accusing inspectors Chethan Kumar, Ramakrishna Reddy, and Srinivas of colluding with drug peddlers.
• The extortion attempt is linked to a recent drug seizure operation in Bengaluru involving ANTF, Bengaluru City Police, and NCB.
• BTV Kannada and one of its reporters were also booked, but the channel denies association with Sharath and filed a complaint against him.
• The three named inspectors were suspended post-drug bust for failing to gather intelligence; evidence includes recorded calls and messages.

Why It Matters: Former journalist arrested for extorting police over drug case allegations, raising media ethics concerns.