Lucknow: Four people were arrested in Bahraich district for allegedly impersonating police personnel and extorting money by threatening victims with jail, a staged encounter or false narcotics charges, police said on Friday.Police said two of the accused posed as policemen, with one wearing the uniform and cap of an Uttar Pradesh police sub-inspector. Using the disguise, the group allegedly intimidated people and demanded cash, warning that those who refused would be arrested, framed in a ganja case or targeted in an “encounter”.The arrests followed an alert that a vehicle fitted with a red-blue beacon and bearing a govt-style registration number was being used by suspected fake police. A team intercepted the car near Singiya Nasirpur village under Hardi police station limits.Police said two men were allegedly forced into the vehicle from Raji intersection. The victims told officers they were threatened at gunpoint and driven towards Mahsi while being pressured to arrange money.During a search, police said they recovered a .315-bore country-made pistol with two live cartridges, 7.795 kg of ganja, ₹8,270 in cash and six mobile phones. A car fitted with a red-blue beacon, along with two fake number plates and items including a UP Police sub-inspector’s uniform, cap and badges, was seized.Superintendent of police Vishwajeet Srivastava said the suspects failed to produce valid identity documents or vehicle papers, and the registration plate was found to be fake.A case has been registered at Hardi police station under relevant provisions. Investigators are checking whether the group used similar tactics elsewhere and are verifying the source of the uniform, fake plates, firearm and narcotics, police said.
