Gr Noida: Fake cop, 2 others extort ₹29 lakh from man under threat of staged encounter

Greater Noida: Three men disguised as police officers allegedly extorted ₹29 lakh from a 40-year-old consultant in Greater Noida after abducting and threatening him with an encounter, officials said on Monday, adding five teams have been formed to nab the suspects

Greater Noida: Three men disguised as police officers allegedly extorted ₹29 lakh from a 40-year-old consultant in Greater Noida after abducting and threatening him with an encounter, officials said on Monday, adding five teams have been formed to nab the suspects.

The incident took place on July 20. But the victim was initially reluctant to file an official complaint, said police. (Representational image)

According to police, the victim, Sandeep Kumar, a resident of a high-rise in Sector 1, Greater Noida West, alleged that the incident took place on July 20. But he was initially reluctant to file an official complaint.

Based on his complaint, a case of wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, and extortion has been registered at the Sector 1 police station.

Talking to HT, Kumar said, “On July 20 morning, when I was going to hand over a laptop to my colleague at my office in Ace Aspire in Techzone 4, a car stopped in front of my SUV. Before I could react, three men asked me to roll down the window while showing weapons and boarded my vehicle.”

According to Kumar, one of the men was in police sub-inspector’s (SI) uniform, carrying two stars, and others were in plain clothes. “They forcibly entered my vehicle, made me sit on the rear seat, and the man in the uniform took control of the wheel.”

Kumar said as he was also having his pet dog with him, the suspects took it from him. The men told him that complaints had been received against me at the Goods and Services Tax office in Lucknow, and took the vehicle towards the Yamuna Expressway. “When I agreed to cooperate, they demanded ₹50 lakh to settle the matter or face dire consequences, including an encounter,” he alleged.

Kumar finally called his brother to bring the cash. “We reached the Noida Expressway by evening and I handed over ₹29 lakh in cash, he said, adding that finally the suspects left him and also returned the pet.

Kumar said he called the police helpline about the incident on July 20. However, he alleged that he had to keep on visiting the police station and approaching senior officers over the incident until Sunday, when finally a complaint was lodged.

Reacting to the allegations, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Shailendra Singh said, “The victim was approaching police to nab the suspects and settle the matter. He was not keen to file a report.”

“Investigation found that Kumar had received two notices from the GST department regarding fraudulent work. After a formal complaint, we registered a case on Sunday against unidentified people, and five teams have been formed to nab the suspects. The investigation revealed that the police officer in uniform was fake,” DCP Singh said, adding the case would be investigated from all angles.