Sarpanch held for extortion bid

SAMBALPUR: Meghpal Sarpanch Rajib Jhankar and another person, Satyanarayan Bhoi of Kisinda were arrested by Jujumura police on Thursday for alleged extortion bid.Reports said the accused, identifying themselves as members of the banned Maoist outfit, demanded Rs. 1 lakh from a village-level worker of Meghpal, Rabi Kanta threatening him with dire consequences.He was also directed to hand over the cash to Rajib Jhankar. It is said that the duo have been making calls demanding money since long. But when Kanta did not oblige, they hiked the demand to Rs. 2 lakh forcing Kanta to report the matter to the police in September. During investigation, the police traced the calls to the duo and arrested them.