Haldwani, Oct. 24 -- Police have launched a fresh investigation into a complaint filed by Congress MLA Sumit Hridayesh alleging a conspiracy to blackmail him, around 18 months after he approached the police. A dedicated team comprising the Haldwani station house officer (SHO) and Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel has been formed to investigate the matter, police said. SP (City) Harbans Singh, who is leading the team, said police has written to the MLA asking him to provide evidence and other details related to his allegations. "The initial complaint did not contain concrete evidence, prompting the police to seek further information". On October 14, Hridayesh held a press conference alleging that a gang was attempting to blackmail him using voice recordings and other personal data. He claimed that his private telephone conversations could be taken out of context and misrepresented if made public. The MLA also alleged members of the gang were tapping the phones of his family members. He claimed the alleged conspiracy was aimed at damaging his political career and that several prominent leaders in the state had also been targeted....