The High Grounds police on Wednesday arrested three men who allegedly posed as Anti Corruption Bureau officials and extorted ₹10 lakh from a few Bangalore Development Authority engineers with the promise that no action would be taken against them. The police also arrested a BDA staffer, Chethan N., who introduced the conmen to the engineers and mediated the deal.
“The accused took advantage of the raids that the ACB had carried out against the BDA. Through their contact, Chethan, they approached the BDA officers and informed them that they had information on their disproportionate assets and underhand deals. They warned the engineers that they would be conducting raids against them, but expressed willingness to look the other way for ₹10 lakh,” said a senior police officer.
The con was uncovered by the real ACB officials during the course of their investigations on the BDA. They lodged a complaint with the jurisdictional High Grounds Police. The accused have been identified as Vijay Kumar, Praveen, and Manoj Kumar. Along with Chethan, the police arrested Praveen and Manoj Kumar for impersonation and extortion. “However, Vijay Kumar is on the run and we are tracking him down,” said the police.
According to ACB officials, similar cases have been reported over the last few months. In February, a conman identified as Dharmendra was arrested by the High Grounds police for allegedly extorting ₹1.5 lakh from an officer with the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB). In another case registered at Halasuru Gate police station, a conman posing as an ACB officer had threatened and blackmailed an officer with the Bangalore Nirmithi Kendra.
ACB officials said they have warned the officials not to entertain people who claim to be part of the bureau and offer deals to drop charges or look the other way for money.
