Surat: Godadara police have registered an FIR against a journalist for allegedly demanding money from a sweet shop owner in connection with a property dispute and threatening him with adverse publicity.According to a complaint filed by 46-year-old Manoj Shukla, he had purchased plots in the S K Nagar Society area of Godadara through a registered document. The complainant alleged that journalist Kaushik Patel, who is associated with a Hindi news channel, approached him in 2015 and questioned him about construction being carried out on the property.Shukla alleged that Patel subsequently published what he described as false reports against him on the news channel and threatened to damage his reputation. According to the complaint, Patel initially demanded Rs 50 lakh, following which Shukla allegedly paid him Rs 5 lakh in cash.The complainant further alleged that in April this year, while he was at the plots with his son, Patel approached him again and demanded Rs 50 lakh. When Shukla said he did not have the money, Patel allegedly abused him and threatened to assault him with an iron rod.Shukla alleged that he subsequently paid another Rs 1 lakh. He further claimed that Patel continued to threaten him and demanded either money or the property.Following the alleged threats and repeated demands, Shukla approached the police, leading to the registration of an FIR at Godadara police station.
