A gang of fraudsters from India, who have been running a fake police station 500 meters from the city police chief’s house for eight months, have been held hostage and arrested on suspicion of extortion, a police official said on Thursday.
At least six members of the gang, including two women, were arrested after a real policeman on Wednesday spotted two uniformed men whose homemade guns raised his suspicions.
“Investigation in this case is going on. More information will emerge,” DC police officer Srivastava told AFP.
According to DC Srivastava, the gang leader is absconding but all efforts have been made to track him down and arrest him.
Bogus police station has been running for eight months. He was staying in a guest house in Banka town, Bihar state, 500 meters from the residence of the municipal police chief.
Fraudsters hire men and women from this rural area for around five hundred rupees (6.20 euros) a day to staff the police station, but they wear uniforms with the graded insignia of “officers”.
Many residents, believing they are dealing with a real police station, may have been robbed when they came to complain or seek help.
Incidents of scammers or gangs impersonating government agents, including police and military officials, are common in India.
A common fear of law enforcement officers is that one rarely tries to question their identity.
On the other hand, creating a police station from scratch is quite unusual.
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