Noida police have arrested two journalists, Shazia Nisar and Adarsh Jha, in connection with an alleged extortion racket targeting the owner of a news channel. The arrests, made on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, followed a complaint filed by Jagdish Chandra, owner of Bharat 24, who alleged that the two were blackmailing him and demanding a huge sum of money under the threat of implicating him in false cases.

Shazia Nisar, who worked as an anchor at Bharat 24 since 2022, and Adarsh Jha, a former anchor with a digital media platform, are accused of attempting to extort ₹65 crore from Chandra. According to the complaint, Nisar threatened to accuse Chandra of rape and commit suicide if her demands were not met. Police reports indicate that the accused had already extorted ₹2.26 crore from the channel owner through multiple cheque payments before escalating their demands.

Following Chandra's complaint on June 8, the Noida Sector-58 police initiated an investigation, leading to the arrest of Nisar from her Delhi residence and Jha from his home in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad. During a search of Nisar's home, police recovered ₹34.5 lakh in cash, along with three mobile phones, two laptops, and a Scorpio car.

Several FIRs have been registered in connection with the case. Besides the complaint filed by Jagdish Chandra, two additional complaints were filed by Bharat 24's consulting editor, Anita Hada, and HR head, Anushri Dhar. These complaints accuse Nisar of blackmail and making suicide threats. Police have booked Nisar, Jha, and Nisar's mother under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to extortion, criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, forgery, criminal intimidation, defamation, and causing hurt to extort confession.

Both Nisar and Jha were presented before the Gautam Buddha Nagar District Court and have been remanded to 14-day judicial custody, until June 21, 2025. The police are continuing their investigation into the matter, with authorities stating that they are looking into all possible angles and the involvement of other individuals.

The case has raised concerns about the misuse of sexual harassment allegations and the potential for extortion within the media industry. The swift action by the Noida police underscores their commitment to addressing such crimes and ensuring the safety and security of businesses and individuals in the region.