Sonia Dhawan

Uttar Pradesh has a reputation as a rough place, with one of the highest levels of crime in the country. In May, a dozen local politicians received WhatsApp messages that threatened harm to their families unless they paid $14,000. Yet even by local standards, an extortion plot that's surfaced in recent weeks stands out for its sheer outlandishness....

The sister of the main accused in the Paytm extortion case on Wednesday doubted if she would get a fair deal by investigators, alleging the Paytm management was implicating Sonia Dhawan in a false case.

Three persons, including two Paytm employees, arrested for blackmailing and making extortion bid on the e-wallet giant's founder Vijay Shekar Sharma were Tuesday remanded to 14-day judicial custody by the magistrate court in Gautam Buddh Nagar, officials said.

As spokesperson of Paytm and one of the oldest employees of the digital payment giant, Sonia Dhawan enjoyed a sizeable pay package. Which is why, the sight of her being arrested and led away from the company's office on Monday afternoon may have been surprising to the staff.

Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma's long-time secretary was at her desk in the company's office in Noida near Delhi when a police team walked in and arrested her on Monday afternoon.

Uttar Pradesh has a reputation as a rough place, with one of the highest levels of crime in the country. In May, a dozen local politicians received WhatsApp messages that threatened harm to their families unless they paid $14,000. Yet even by local standards, an extortion plot that's surfaced in recent weeks stands out for its sheer outlandishness....

The sister of the main accused in the Paytm extortion case on Wednesday doubted if she would get a fair deal by investigators, alleging the Paytm management was implicating Sonia Dhawan in a false case.

Three persons, including two Paytm employees, arrested for blackmailing and making extortion bid on the e-wallet giant's founder Vijay Shekar Sharma were Tuesday remanded to 14-day judicial custody by the magistrate court in Gautam Buddh Nagar, officials said.

As spokesperson of Paytm and one of the oldest employees of the digital payment giant, Sonia Dhawan enjoyed a sizeable pay package. Which is why, the sight of her being arrested and led away from the company's office on Monday afternoon may have been surprising to the staff.

Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma's long-time secretary was at her desk in the company's office in Noida near Delhi when a police team walked in and arrested her on Monday afternoon.