Four individuals, who extorted Rs 1,42,000 by posing as policemen, arrested

BENGALURU: Four individuals, who were posing as police officers, including as a sub-inspector, were arrested for donning uniforms and extorting money by threatening people. The arrested accused are Mallikarjun, Pramod, Vinay, and Hritvik.

A robbery case was reported in Vidyaranyapura police station jurisdiction. The accused had planned to rob a house by breaking in and threatening occupants.

Mallikarjun had appeared for the PSI exam twice and failed both times. Despite this, he pretended that he had passed the exam and spread the false image in his village. He wore a police uniform, lathi, cap and shoes and had photos taken. He claimed he was a PSI in Bengaluru, saying he was from his Siraguppa.

Wanting a luxurious life, Mallikarjun started robbery to earn easy money in a short period. The fourth accused, Hritvik, helped him. Hritvik closely watched one Naveen and told Mallikarjun that robbing Naveen’s house would get them money and gold.

Accordingly, on December 7, the accused arrived at Naveen’s house in a car wearing police uniform. They threatened Naveen saying he was selling ganja and that they needed to search the house. They attacked Naveen with a stick and an iron rod. They demanded money, saying he would be arrested otherwise, and took Rs 87,000 from his account, Rs 53,000 from his house and Rs 2,000 from his wallet before fleeing.

Naveen filed a complaint at Vidyaranyapura police station. Following this, four people, including the fake PSI, were arrested. They seized Rs 45,000 in cash and the car used in the crime. Further investigation by Vidyaranyapura police is under way.