Delhi man posing as MCD official extorts elderly woman

On May 9, the accused visited the woman’s house by posing as an MCD official and told her to pay a fine for the unclean drains in the locality

New Delhi A 42-year-old property dealer has been arrested for allegedly posing as an MCD official, cheating and extorting an elderly woman in south Delhi’s Defence Colony area.

The accused, Tausif Raja, a resident of Shaheen Bagh, was arrested on Friday after scanning hundreds of CCTVs and call records. (Representational image)

The accused threatened the woman that he would cut her power supply and restrict her family from hosting a wedding if she fails to pay a challan of ₹50,000 for unclean drains, according to police.

On May 9, the accused visited the woman’s house by posing as an MCD official and told her to pay a fine for the unclean drains in the locality. The accused threatened that he will not allow her son’s wedding to take place unless the fines were paid.

“The woman paid an amount of ₹25,000 out of fear. However, the accused demanded ₹50 lakhs on May 13. The woman’s husband handed over ₹1.5 lakhs in cash to the man near Modi Mill flyover, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (south) Ankit Chauhan.

The accused continued to harass the family which led them to file a police complaint. “We verified the information and found that he faked his identity. The accused, Tausif Raja, a resident of Shaheen Bagh, was arrested on Friday after scanning hundreds of CCTVs and call records. He was also involved in another cheating case from the IP Estate area in 2018, said DCP Chauhan.