Conman was once a freelance journalist, worked with Tehelka

NEW DELHI: He was shying away from the cameras as the Crime Branch team took him out of their car. As the media clicked his photographs, he kept his hand on his face avoiding the glare of both the TV and the print media gathered around.

Not long before he worked as a freelance journalist with many news channels covering news for them. He also worked as a freelance poem reciter in All India Radio. Later, he opened his own portals but his aspirations were much higher than what these portals or payments from channels or newspapers could pay him.

He then entered into so called investigative journalism and bought spy cameras. Sanjay Tiwari started doing sting operations of various high profile people and even politicians. He also started doing sting operations of LPG gas dealers and contractors and started extorting money from them, threatening to implicate them in LPG pilferage. Hence, was booked for extortion several times.

He disclosed that he has also worked with Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal and later on his recommendation, was sent to Mumbai where he worked as an associate of famous film director Tanuja Chandra for several months. He returned later and started developing contacts with politicians.

However, the lust for easy money landed him in the extortion business and he never looked back. It was when he worked as a PA to Member of Parliament of Arunachal that he hit upon with this idea of cheating politicians by luring them for political benefits.

Though he has been caught on several occasions for extortion and cheating, he was bailed out. The cops have a tough task of preparing a watertight case against him in order to make him remain behind bars for a longer time.