A local TV/web channel’s CEO was arrested for abusing a businessman and his family on air. The accused Whatsup TV channel’s CEO Shahid Qureshi also allegedly tried to extort money from the victims by blackmailing them with the content before airing it.

Saifabad police booked a case against him for extortion bid and for telecasting offensive content. The complainants, Saberi Brothers, alleged that Qureshi aired on the TV channel seven episodes containing highly offensive content describing their relatives as “thieves and criminals”. In the programme, Shahid Qureshi had stated that the Saberi brothers cheated Bollywood celebrities like Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan. Earlier, the CEO’s brother, Kashif Qureshi of Big Boss fame, had a fight with the Saberi brothers, who now allege that the programme was aired due to this.

The Saberi brothers, who run businesses in the city like ‘Saberi’s Opticals’, have also filed a Rs 10 crore-defamation suit against the TV channel and the accused Shahid Qureshi. “We have arrested the accused and produced him before court. A case has been booked against him under Section 385 and 66A of the IT Act,” said inspector K. Poorna Chander.