Weeks after the Uttar Pradesh Police busted a fake “West Arctica Embassy” in Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar police have arrested six men for allegedly running a bogus office in the name of the “International Police and Crime Investigation Bureau”. According to officials, the group posed as government officers and used forged IDs, fake insignia and fabricated documents to extort money.

Police said the arrests followed a tip-off about suspicious activities at an address in Noida’s Sector 70. Around midnight on Sunday, a raid was carried out at an office designed to mimic an official government agency.

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Counterfeit ministry certificates, fake signage

According to the police, the gang had decorated the premises with police-like colours, emblems and signage. They displayed counterfeit certificates purportedly issued by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Ayush and Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. While speaking to the press on the arrest, Central Noida DCP Shakti Mohan Awasthi said that the accused solicited donations through a website while showcasing numerous national and international “credentials” to appear authentic. They kept multiple press ID cards, “international human rights” IDs, official-looking stamps and other paraphernalia to mislead people, DCP Awasthi added.

The senior police official also said that all the six persons arrested in the raid are natives of West Bengal. “During the raid, we arrested six suspects and seized extensive evidence, including forged IDs, ministry certificates, cheque books, ATM cards, visiting cards, signboards, mobile phones and some cash,” Awasthi added.

Parallel policing system

Awasthi further said that the gang had rented the premises on June 4 and had been operating for 10 days. “They were attempting to function as a parallel policing system and deceive the public,” he said. Although the operation was still in its early days, police believe the group had already managed to target a few individuals. Investigations are underway to identify any additional victims.

Officials noted that the accused had meticulously adopted colours, badges and styles associated with law enforcement to scam the general public. “They went to great lengths to impersonate officials, from forged certificates to international affiliations, all designed to dupe unsuspecting people,” an officer said.

The accused have been booked under charges of cheating, forgery and impersonation. Police are now probing their backgrounds and verifying whether they have links to other similar scams across the state.