Jalandhar: Jalandhar police have claimed to have busted a four-member gang involved in extorting money from people by impersonating government officers, sources said on Friday. The arrested accused have been identified as Sunny Mahindru, Ajay Kumar, Mishti and Manpreet who are residents of Jalandhar.
A Jalandhar Police spokesperson said that the accused used to prey on the building owners by claiming to be officers of the municipal corporation. Some of these people are also fake journalists and run their own web portals, the police spokesperson said. The gang was busted on the directions of Jalandhar Commissionerate Police, under the leadership of Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma.
Sharma said that the gang came to light after a complainant alleged that these four had visited his under-construction house by claiming to be field officers of Jalandhar Municipal Corporation. Swapan Sharma said that the thugs told the complainant Chatar Singh that there was no permission for the construction of the building and threatened to demolish it.
The police commissioner said that the accused then demanded Rs 10,000 from the building owner, after which he gave them Rs 5,000. However, he said that after the initial payment, the building owner became suspicious of the fraudsters' behavior, prompting him to call the ERS team and the police. Swapan Sharma said that the police force swiftly arrested the four-member gang from the nearby Lawrence School.
Commissioner of Police said that the accused have been booked under sections 384,419,420,34 IPC under FIR/Case 43 dated 08-02-2024 at Rama Mandi Jalandhar police station. He said that the gang has a background of cheating by posing as employees of different departments. Sharma further said that the matter is being further investigated and details will be shared later.
