The Gia Lai Province police took in a journalist after they caught him red-handed while blackmailing the head of a local transport company into paying him VND100 million on August 4.
 
Le Hai, 46, who told officers he is a correspondent for Kinh Te Nong Thon (Rural Economy Times) magazine, and some of his colleagues had demanded VND 500 million from Doan Duc Lap, director of Auto Transport Co. Ltd., for hushing up a story on violations committed by the company’s driving school.
 
The police came to the company’s office – they have not revealed their source of information -- and arrested Hai as he was receiving VND100 million from Lap. 
 
His alleged accomplices, Hai, Chau and Thao were also asked to report to the police.
 
One of them is a reporter for a radio and TV station in the central region and the others are newspaper reporters. All are residents of Pleiku town.
 
The police have Hai in temporary custody.