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Indian police have apprehended six suspects for allegedly impersonating law enforcement officers and extorting “donations” from a rented office labeled as a “crime investigative bureau.” The “International Police and Crime Investigation Bureau,” operated from an office decorated with police-like colors and logos, was located in Noida, a satellite city near New Delhi, according to a police statement issued late Sunday.
The suspects forged documents and certificates and maintained a website requesting “donations” from victims. They also claimed to have an “affiliation with Interpol” and other international crime agencies. Authorities said the accused presented themselves as public servants.
Law enforcement recovered multiple mobile phones, cheque books, stamp seals, and identity cards during the raid.
This arrest follows only a few weeks after another man was detained for running a fake embassy from a leased house near New Delhi. This individual duped job seekers into paying money under false promises of overseas employment. He operated what he called the “West Arctic embassy,” claiming to represent fictional countries such as “West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, Lodonia.”
Harsh Vardhan Jain, 47, was running his operations out of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, a neighboring city of Delhi. He allegedly used vehicles with counterfeit diplomatic license plates and circulated manipulated photos of himself with Indian officials to enhance his credibility. Jain is also accused of money laundering.