Six-member gang of fake ACB officials arrested

Hyderabad: The Punjagutta police today arrested a gang of six persons, including a lady, for impersonating as ACB officials and tried to extort Rs. 4 lakh from a Junior Assistant in the RTA Central Zone.

The accused were identified as Mohammed Aleem Saber, 47, Informer in Crime Today of New Mallepally; Syed Osman Ali, 44, second hand Auto dealer; Lubna Fatima alias Shilpa and Preethi, 35, executive director of “Parivartan” Women’s Educational Welfare & Charitable Society, of Attapur; Syed Khaja Moinuddin Zaki, 39, of Chanchalguda; Atmakur Vijay, 34, of Shaikpet and Syed Sameer Mehdi, 24, of Chanchalguda

According to West Zone DCP, on June 30, K. Renuka, Junior Assistant in RTA, Central Zone, complained that three persons, including a lady, came to her office and threatened her by saying they have a video and demanded Rs 4 lakh saying they will post the video on social network sites if she failed to comply with their demand. The imposters also forcibly took her outside the RTA office and took her to a hotel at Lakadikapul and took her signatures on Non-Judicial Stamp papers that she would pay Rs 4 lakh on July 2.

On the receipt of her complaint, the police registered a case under Sections 384, 388, 419, 365 read with 34 IPC and took up investigation. The police found that the lady accused was running an NGO “Parivartan Women’s Educational Welfare & Charitable Society” at Attapur and have been organizing training programs for various schools. Principal accused Mohammed Allem Saber was working as an informer to Crime Today and other web channels and A2 Syed Osman Ali was acting as media spokesperson for National Anti Crime & Human Rights Council of India having office at Road No. 12, Banjara Hills.

Police found the accused visited a school at Uppal and extorted Rs 30,000 by threatening the school correspondent that they will post a video in social media stating that their school was not having government recognization. Similarly, A1 to A3 visited the RTA Central Zone office on June 30 morning and threatened complainant Renuka that they have her video in which she was accepting bribes and forcibly took her from her office to Dwaraka Hotel at Lakadikapul and forcibly took her signatures on two Non Judicial Stamp papers as if she took Rs 4 lakh from them for medical expenses of her mother and will return the same on July 2.

On July 1 at 1900 hours, when A1 to A3 came to RTA office in a Maruti Omni Van and A5, A4 and A6 came there to assist the trio were nabbed by the police. The police also seized Maruti Omni Van, Two Non-Judicial Stamp papers, Voice Today ID Card, National Anti-Crime & Human Rights Council of India ID Card, Mike of Voice Today, six mobile phones and so on. (NSS)