NOIDA
With police-style insignia and red-blue signboards, an “International Police & Crime Investigation Bureau” operated in Noida’s Sector 70, claiming affiliation with Interpol, International Human Rights Commission and Eurasia Pol.
But what operated under the guise was a centre specialised in collecting “donations” on its website and extorting money by impersonating government officials, police said on Sunday, after conducting a raid and busting the racket.
In a midnight raid at BS-136, Sector 70 of Noida, on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, police-acting on a tip-off about an office being run resembling an official agency-arrested six persons and seized evidence, including forged IDs, ministry certificates, cheque books, ATM cards, visiting cards, signboards, mobile phones, and ₹42,300.
“We successfully disrupted a well-orchestrated fraud operation. The accused had established a hoax office in Sector 70 under the guise of the ‘International Police & Crime Investigation Bureau,’ using police-like insignia and fabricated ministry documents to deceive the public and extort money. During the raid, we arrested six suspects and seized extensive evidence,” deputy commissioner of police (Central Noida) Shakti Mohan Awasthi said.
The bust comes close on the heels of the Ghaziabad police arresting a businessman who claimed to be a diplomat of four micronations, including Westarctica and fictitious Poulovia.
Police said they displayed forged certificates from multiple central ministries-the ministry of tribal affairs, the ministry of Ayush, and the ministry of social justice and empowerment-and claimed affiliation with international groups, such as the Interpol, International Human Rights Commission, and Eurasia Pol. They also claimed to have an office in the United Kingdom, police said.
Noida police officers said that the gang posed as public servants, collected donations via their website www.intlpcrib.in, and displayed various national and international certificates online to appear legitimate. They kept multiple press ID cards, international human rights IDs, and stamps to influence and deceive people.
DCP Awasthi said, “The gang had recently set up their office in the area and had been operating for about 10 days after putting up boards resembling those of the police. The premises were taken on rent on June 4. They were attempting to function as a parallel system to the police and deceive people.”
“Since the office had only just started operations, they had targeted only a handful of individuals so far, but efforts are underway to identify more cases linked to them. To create a misleading image, they had used specific colours and emblems associated with law enforcement,” another police officer said.
The accused were identified as Bibhash Chandra Adhikari, a BA graduate; his son Araghya Adhikari, a law graduate; Babul Chandra Mandal, a Class 12 graduate; Pintu Pal, 27, a Class 12 pass-out; Samapda Mal, 29, and Ashish Kumar, 57, all originally from West Bengal and presently living in Sector 70 of Noida.
Police said that during the raids, several incriminating items were recovered from the accused. From Bibhash Chandra Adhikari, they seized three mobile phones, six cheque books of multiple banks, 16 different rubber stamps, a stamp pad, nine ID cards of different agencies, affiliation documents, three visiting cards, certificates, letter pads, envelopes, a trust deed, ATM cards, and ₹42,300. From Araghya Adhikari, they seized one black mobile phone, and they seized two phones from Babul Chandra Mandal, including an iPhone XR. They seized three more phones, including a second iPhone, from Pintu Pal, Samapda Mal and Ashish Kumar.
According to police, the accused were operating in an organised manner to mislead people, project fake international affiliations, and illegally collect money.
Police said that a case was registered against the accused under sections 204, 205, 318, 319, 336, 339, 338, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act, along with sections 3 and 4 of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950. These charges pertain to offences involving forgery, cheating, impersonation, endangering safety, and the unlawful use of names or symbols protected under law.
“The gang claimed affiliations with entities, such as Interpol and even alleged to have a UK branch. They operated through a website and displayed numerous fake credentials to reinforce their facade. Cases have been registered under multiple sections of the BNS, IT Act, and the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950. Our investigation is ongoing, and we are diligently examining their backgrounds, verifying affiliations, and tracking any additional accomplices or victims,” the DCP said.