Kerala’s Karma News faces multiple allegations of extortion and blackmail
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Thiruvananthapuram: Malayalam digital news tabloid, Karma News, which has large viewership of rightwing Christians and Hindus, is now facing exertion charges in multiple cases.
The news tabloid, being run by Kerala-based CEO PR Somdev and Perth-Australia based MD Vince Mathew, , is owned by Galaxy Zoom India Pvt Ltd, The New Minute reported.
TNM reported that the tabloid is facing at least three police complaints filed in 2022 and 2023 against Somdev and Mathew.
The others associated with the digital tabloid to face the cases are reporters of Karma News for alleged extortion and blackmail filed in police stations in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
Meanwhile, a former journalist of the tabloid Easwaran Potti reportedly openly spoke about its modus operandi of threatening to air news in order to blackmail individuals and businesses.
The most recent case, according to the report, filed against the digital tabloid was by Yana Mother and Child Hospital, an infertility clinic, at the Fort Police Station in Thiruvananthapuram
The hospital accuses the CEO of Karma News and its reporter of demanding Rs 1 crore in order to avoid publishing reports that would harm the clinic’s reputation.
The complaint said Karma News, along with a couple identified as Sujith Krishna and Sithara, who had sought treatment at the facility, blackmailed them to pay Rs 1 crore.
In another case of similar nature, Midhun PP, reportedly the CEO of Spices Producer Company (SPC), lodged a complaint at Infopark Police Station alleging Karma News reporter Easwaran Potti demanded Rs 50 lakh to avoid damaging reports against the company.
Karma News responded to the allegation of extortion claiming that they had withdrawn their report against Yana Hospital and apologized after finding it factually incorrect.
The digital tabloid however denied charges of having attempted to black mail the hospital.
As with the allegations by Spices Producer Company (SPC), the tabloid said they sought the company to give details of the factually incorrect report but there was no response.
Meanwhile, Karma News faces a case filed by Newslaundry and Confluence Media Online Ventures Private Limited after the tabloid published reports against the media event 'Cutting South 2023’ held in Kochi in March.