Lucknow, Sep 20 (IANS): The police have lodged an FIR for extortion in the case of a 50-year-old contractor who jumped into the Gomti river from Indira Dam.

Arun Mishra, who took the extreme step on Monday, is still missing and efforts to trace his body have proved futile.

He had gone missing from his Chinhat residence on Sunday.

His scooter was found abandoned near the Indira Dam, which led police to his home.

A team of divers was pressed into service to search for Mishra, but he could not be traced until late Tuesday.

Based on statements from Mishra's family, police believe that he may have been a victim of sextortion.

They say that Mishra's alleged tormentors demanded Rs 10 lakh to delete morphed videos of him. Mishra had already paid Rs 88,000 to the group.

Police are tracing the credentials and antecedents of Ankit Sharma, the person into whose account Mishra deposited the money.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Vibhuti Khand, Anindya Vikram Singh, said that Mishra's son Saurabh Mishra alleged that his father was being harassed by a group of contractors.

“They were blackmailing him and threatening to upload his morphed pictures on social media,” Saurabh alleged.

The police are investigating the case further.