Kerala Transport Minister AK Saseendran resigned after alleged phone sex.
Highlights
- Transport Minister resigned after alleged phone sex
- News channel admitted it misrepresented the "sting"
- 8 reporters surrender, the woman on tape not among them
Five journalists in Kerala, all working with the same news channel, have been arrested by the police in connection with "honey-trapping" a minister who resigned last week over an obscene phone call. Eight journalists who were involved in the case had surrendered earlier this evening.
The Malayalam news channel recorded the phone call and broadcast only the minister's voice, editing out what the woman said to him.
The channel's CEO, Ajith Kumar, who has also been arrested, apologized on air five days later for misrepresenting the facts. Mangalam TV, which is less than two weeks old, originally claimed that the woman who the minister spoke to was a housewife who was being harassed to provide sexual favours.
Channel bosses later claimed that the woman who spoke on the phone to Transport Minister AK Saseendran was a journalist who volunteered to expose him in a sting operation. She worked with what the organization described as an investigation team set up by the channel. She is not among those who have reported to the police today.
While resigning, Mr Saseendran said that the phone conversation was doctored, but that he did not wish to cause the government more embarrassment and was therefore stepping down.