MP: National-level baseball player ends life; one held for blackmail, extortion

A 25-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly blackmailing, extorting money and assaulting a national level baseball player, who committed suicide earlier this week, a police official from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh said on Friday.

Sanjana Barkade (20) hanged herself on Monday when her parents were not present in the house and a probe zeroed in Abdul Mansoori, who befriended her on a social media platform by introducing himself as Rajan, the Sanjeevani Nagar police station official said.

"As per the deceased's parents, Abdul posed as Rajan and befriended Sanjana on Instagram one year ago. He shot some videos of her and started demanding money. He also forced her to convert to his faith," Inspector Kranti Barve told PTI.

"The accused forcibly took away her medals and certificates. She committed suicide when her parents were not at home. Sanjana is a second year BA student from Seoni district who was staying with her parents in Jabalpur," Barve said.

Mansoori was held on Thursday and has been charged under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code for assault, extortion, among other offences, the official said.