Impostors pose as cops to raid Chanda liquor smugglers

Chandrapur: While the ‘cat and mouse’ game is on between the police and liquor smugglers in Chandrapur district, where prohibition has been imposed, tricksters have stepped in to make easy money through extortion by posing as police personnel and conducting ‘raids’. Padoli police have busted a gang of fake cops that had looted a consignment of smuggled liquor from a private travels bus and then started blackmailing the smuggler for extortion.Two persons have been arrested in this connection on Friday.
As per reports, one Rajesh Soni and his friend had gone to Nagpur for some work. On their way back, they purchased liquor reportedly worth Rs 27,000 and started for Chandrapur in a bus belonging to DNR Travels. Two persons, associated with the travels business, Paramjeet Singh and Nikku, got a tip-off about Soni’s bid to smuggle liquor to Chandrapur. They hatched a plan to conduct a raid on the bus by posing as cops. They also roped in some others in the plan.
Accordingly, the gang members led by Paramjeet Singh followed the Chandrapur-bound bus in a car and intercepted it near Padoli on Thursday evening. Posing as cops, the tricksters asked the driver to open the parcel chamber of the bus and offloaded the bags of Soni that were filled with liquor bottles. Then these impostors came to Soni and his friend seated inside the bus and told that the liquor has been seized.
As Soni and his friend got down from the bus, the fake cops offered to settle the case for Rs 15,000 and that local crime branch police inspector was inside a white car with tinted glasses parked near the bus. The negotiations, however, failed between the two parties and Paramjeet Singh told the duo to meet him near the private travels bus stop in Chandrapur for next round of negotiations.
After reaching Chandrapur, terrified Soni inquired about the case against him at Ram Nagar and City police stations and found that no such offence was registered there. He again inquired in these police stations on Friday, but no offence was found to be registered against him. Meanwhile, Paramjeet Singh kept calling Soni demanding Rs 15,000 and threatened to initiate police action if the money was not paid.
Soni then approached the LCB inquiring about the raid, but was shocked to find that LCB cops were clueless about the midway seizure of liquor. He explained the sequence of events to the LCB personnel who handed over the case to Padoli police. “As the fake cops had posed as LCB squad near Padoli, we have asked Padoli police to conduct investigation,” said LCB in-charge, PI Gajanan Kankale.
Padoli police then swung into action and nabbed two accused, identified as Hirasingh Potala and Gurbachan Singh, both employees of DNR Travels. “Three other impostors including the gang leader are still at large,” said Padoli PSO, Bharat Kshirsagar. The absconding accused have been identified as Paramjeet Singh, Nikku (full name not confirmed) and one more person.
Offence against the accused impostors has been registered under charges of cheating and extortion at Padoli police station. Cops are also investigating whether this was first such ‘raid’ of the impostor cops or they had duped other smugglers too. PSI Ramdas Kendre is investigating further.