Three journos harassed and extorted Ravi: Mokila Police

According to the police, Ramesh, Srinivas and Suresh, reporters of vernacular news channels and newspapers who were aware of the facts that Ravi Kumar was not able to repay the investments of depositors, allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh from him to not publicise the matter

Hyderabad: The Mokila police investigating the family suicide-murder case of three children and their father N Ravi Kumar (35), a finance agent who worked for an illegal finance company, have found out that he was also allegedly harassed by three journalists who demanded money.

According to the police, Ramesh, Srinivas and Suresh, reporters of vernacular news channels and newspapers who were aware of the facts that Ravi Kumar was not able to repay the investments of depositors, allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh from him to not publicise the matter.

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“They initially threatened the victim for Rs 20 lakh but Ravi who agreed to pay Rs 10 lakh, and as first installment, gave Rs 2.5 lakh by selling his wife’s gold jewelry,” said a police official.

According to Ravi’s wife N Sreelatha, the three scribes along with other suspects – Tirupathi Rao, Nagaraj and Maneela, constantly put pressure on Ravi and resorted to threatening.

“He sold the jewelry and our land documents and returned some money to depositors and the journalists. But they continued harassing and blackmailing him. Unable to take further harassment, he killed our sons and further ended his life,” Sreelatha told in her police complaint.

Ravi Kumar, who was working as a supervisor at the Agriculture Office in Julkal in Shankarpally, enrolled as an agent for an illegal financial institution GSS with its head office in Andhra Pradesh.

The company started several schemes and guaranteed huge profits on investments. As an agent, Ravi enrolled several people as members in the schemes and collected huge amounts from them and handed over to the company, for which he received a commission. Eventually, the company stopped paying profits to the depositors following which they started putting pressure on Ravi.

On Sunday night, he had an argument with his wife over the matter, after which he went to the hostel and brought back his three sons Sai Kiran (13), Mohith (10) and Uday Kumar (7), and strangulated them in the house. He then hanged himself at his under construction function hall in the village.

The police have booked a case of abetment to suicide, cheating, criminal intimidation and sections of the SC/PT POA Act and investigating.