The Noida Police have busted a gang which extorted money from people by making fake rape allegations after getting into their cars on the pretext of hitching a ride. Police have arrested 15 people including four police officials and two women.
Noida Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna laid a trap after receiving several complaints from individuals who alleged that the gang had extorted hundreds of thousands of rupees in connivance with the members of UP 100 PCR vans.
As per the plan, women would get into the cars of unsuspecting men by seeking a lift between 9 pm and 11 pm. After travelling a distance, these women would discuss job opportunities for themselves with the men and ask them to stop the car near a police booth. Once policemen were in their sight, women would accuse these men of rape.
“Police were informed three-four days ago about a possible extortion nexus between Sector 39 police officers and some people. A complainant alleged that a woman would ask for a lift and stop the car where a PCR van would be parked, near Sector 44 police booth. The woman would get out of the car and complain to police personnel that she had been raped. The fake complaint would then be used by the other accused to blackmail the vehicle owner,” Krishna was quoted by Indian Express.
Krishna later addressed the media in detail about the gang and how he had laid a trap to arrest people from his own department.
#NoidaPolice ~ लिफ्ट लेकर बलात्कार का झूठा आरोप लगाकर ब्लैकमेल करने वाले गिरोह का पर्दाफाश, 04 पुलिसकर्मी, 02 महिला सहित कुल 15 अभियुक्त गिरफ्तार, कब्जे से 50,000 रूपये व 03? कार बरामद – थाना सेक्टर – 39 नोएडा।
➡️उक्त संबंध में @sspnoida द्वारा दी गयी बाइट(3) @Uppolice @dgpup pic.twitter.com/E3OGQValqJ
— NOIDA POLICE (@noidapolice) June 11, 2019
Among those arrested are Sunil Sharma, the booth in-charge of Sector-44, three policemen and several drivers of PCR vans. Cops have booked the arrested individuals under several sections of the IPC and invoked charges of fraud and extortion against them. They have also recovered Rs 50,000 that the gang had extorted from a local businessman.