A gang of crooks in India that had been running a fake police station for eight months has been busted and arrested on suspicion of extortion, an officer said Thursday. At least six members of the gang, including two women, were arrested when a real cop spotted two uniformed men on Wednesday whose homemade guns aroused his suspicions. “The investigation is ongoing in this case. More information is going to come to light,” DC police officer Srivastava said. According to DC Srivastava, the leader of the gang is on the run but everything is done to find and arrest him.
The bogus police station had been operating for eight months. He was based in a guest house, located about 500 meters from the residence of the municipal police chief in the town of Banka, in the state of Bihar. The imposters employed men and women from this rural area, for about five hundred rupees (6.20 euros) a day, constituting the staff of the police station while they, the “officers”, wore uniforms with insignia of graded.
Extorted residents
Many residents, convinced that they are dealing with a real police station, have probably been victims of extortion when they come to file a complaint or ask for help. Incidents where scammers or gangs impersonate government agents, including police and military officers, are common in India.
The general fear of the authorities responsible for enforcing the law is such that one seldom ventures to question their identity. On the other hand, for a police station to be created from scratch is a much more exceptional thing.
