Fraud targeting vulnerable victims has come to light after police arrested a man accused of posing as a Special Task Force officer to extort ₹2 lakh from a disabled businessman from Kolkata. The accused allegedly promised to recover funds lost in earlier investment fraud schemes. During the operation, police seized a fake STF identity card and a Safari car used to project himself as a law enforcement official.
The accused, Ajay Kumar Singh, hails from Akhandnagar in Sultanpur district and was recently residing in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow. Police said he posed as an STF officer posted in Lucknow and demanded money in exchange for taking action against alleged fraudsters and retrieving the victim’s funds. The complainant, Rakesh Jaiswal, had earlier been cheated of several lakhs in a land deal in Ayodhya where he intended to set up an ashram. He was later persuaded to invest about ₹20 lakh in a restaurant partnership, which was also allegedly siphoned off. While attempting to recover these losses, he met Ajay Singh, who claimed he could use his “official influence” to get the money back.
Believing his claims, Jaiswal paid ₹2 lakh. When no action followed and the accused began avoiding him, he approached the police. Circle Officer Ayodhya Ashutosh Tiwari said a team led by Kotwali in-charge Pankaj Singh arrested the accused near the boundary wall of Udasin Rishi Ashram in Ranopali after a tip-off. During the search, officers recovered the fake STF ID card and the vehicle used to project him as a law enforcement officer. Police records show Ajay Singh already has a cheating case registered in the Tarun police station area.
The fraud investigation is now expanding, with police examining call records, bank transactions and contacts to identify other possible victims and accomplices. Officials suspect a coordinated fraud pattern in which one group cheats victims through fake investments and another impersonates officials to extract more money by promising recovery. The accused has been produced before a court and further custodial interrogation is being sought. Police have urged citizens not to pay money to anyone claiming to be a police or government officer for “taking action” or “recovering funds,” emphasizing that genuine law enforcement agencies never charge for investigations.
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