The two people have been charged for extortion, police said. (Representational)
Police on Wednesday charged two people, running news web portals, for extorting money from a shopkeeper in Punjab's Phagwara, an official said.
Senior police official Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh said Vinod Sharma and Vinod Kumar were booked for allegedly blackmailing the shopkeeper and extorting Rs 1,500 from him.
Complainant Mandip Singh said his father Balbir Singh runs a small shop of iron door frames adjacent to his residence in the city.
The accused came to his father's shop on May 6 and started recording a video, and claimed that he had opened the store in violation of the Covid norms.
They threatened to upload the video to their web portals if they were not given Rs 10,000.
They forced him to shell out Rs 1,500, said the complainant.
After investigation, a case has been registered against the duo but no arrest has been made yet, added Mr Khakh.
Police have registered a case against them under sections 384 (punishment for extortion), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.