New Delhi, Feb 27: A devious racket that targeted the rich and vulnerable in Delhi’s Rohini came to a swift end, thanks to the vigilant efforts of the local police. The culprits behind this ‘honey trap’ racket were three notorious extortionists who had been posing as Delhi Police officers, tricking their victims into parting with hefty sums of money.

The breakthrough came when the Special Staff of Rohini District Police received a tip-off about a group of individuals using fake police uniforms to trap and blackmail unsuspecting victims. Acting on this intelligence, the police laid a well-coordinated trap near Vijay Vihar in Rohini.

Under the guidance of Vishnu Kumar Sharma, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) of Rohini district, the police were able to apprehend the three culprits – Neeraj (36), Yogesh alias Dhilu (40), and Ashish (35), all residents of Haryana’s Bahadurgarh. The officer stated that they are not highly educated, with all of them having only completed up to 10th or 11th grade.

“These criminals operated with a high level of deception," Addl DCP Vishnu Kumar Sharma told IANS.

"They would first target wealthy individuals in the age group of 50 to 60 through social media, establishing trust and building a rapport. Once they had their victims in their clutches, they would lure them to a predetermined location, where they would pose as police officers and accuse the victims of illicit behaviour. Using the threat of fabricated charges and humiliating evidence, such as obscene photos, they would blackmail their targets for large sums of money," added Sharma.

The modus operandi was that after creating a false connection with their victims, the accused would ambush them, wearing police uniforms and brandishing fake Delhi Police ID cards.

They would then threaten to expose private and compromising images unless the victims paid up, often out of fear and shame, choosing to comply rather than report the crime.

The police recovered significant evidence from the trio’s possession, including two police uniforms, fake ID cards of a Delhi Police Sub-Inspector, and two scooters, says Sharma.

The trio's criminal activities were extensive, with Neeraj identified as the leader of the gang, a man with a history of three criminal cases tied to similar honey-trap schemes.

“This gang had been operating covertly for some time, extorting money from multiple victims in the area," continued Vishnu Kumar Sharma.

"Our team acted on a tip-off without waiting for formal complaints, which helped us uncover this network before more damage could be done."

The police team comprising Inspector Amit Dahiya and ACP Ishwar Singh, meticulously set up the operation. They identified the suspects, who had been moving around the Rohini area in police uniforms and stopped them near the Budh Vihar cremation ground. The three men, caught off guard, failed to provide satisfactory answers when questioned, leading to their immediate arrest.

Currently, the police are questioning the culprits to uncover more details about the gang's operations and to track down any additional members involved.

The investigation is also focused on identifying and contacting the victims who fell prey to this extortion ring.

--IANS

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