Bhubaneswar: Matri Vihar police here on Wednesday arrested a 26-year-old man for allegedly robbing a pharmacist of Rs 43,500 after stripping him naked, assaulting him and filming the ordeal to blackmail him.The accused, identified as Ajit Das, allegedly targeted the victim after seeking a lift on his motorcycle on Oct 16. Police said Das later held a knife to the pharmacist’s throat and forced him into an abandoned building near Salia Sahi, where seven to eight of his accomplices were allegedly waiting.The pharmacist, employed with a leading private hospital, was returning home after work when Das thumbed him down for a lift near the hospital. “I agreed to help him. While we were on the way, he suddenly put a knife to my throat and threatened me into silence. He then forced me to an abandoned building near Salia Sahi, where several others were present,” the complainant alleged.Police said the gang allegedly assaulted the pharmacist, snatched his mobile phone and wallet, and later forced him to transfer Rs 6,000 through UPI. The accused also allegedly took his debit card and PIN before withdrawing Rs 20,000 from an ATM. The victim further claimed that Rs 17,500 kept in his scooter’s underseat storage box was stolen.“They stripped me, recorded my videos and threatened to circulate the footage on social media if I approached the police,” the complainant stated.Following an investigation, police tracked down and arrested Das, while efforts are on to nab the remaining suspects. “We have arrested prime accused Ajit Das. His accomplices have been identified and raids are underway to arrest them,” said DCP Saravana Vivek M.