‘Int’l police’ racket in Noida busted, six fraudsters held

Brazen impersonation

- Maria Khan

With police-style insignia and red-blue signboards, an “International Police & Crime Investigation Bureau” operated in Noida’s Sector 70, claiming affiliation with Interpol, International Human Rights Commission and Eurasia Pol. But what operated under the guise was a centre specialised in collecting “donations” on its website and extorting money by impersonating government officials, police said on Sunday, after conducting a raid and busting the racket.

In a midnight raid at BS-136, Sector 70 of Noida, on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, police—acting on a tip-off about an office being run resembling an official agency—arrested six persons and seized evidence, including forged IDs, ministry certificates, cheque books, ATM cards, visiting cards, signboards, mobile phones, and ₹42,300.

“We successfully disrupted a well-orchestrated fraud operation. The accused had established a hoax office in Sector 70 under the guise of the ‘International Police & Crime Investigation Bureau,’ using police-like insignia and fabricated ministry documents to deceive the public and extort money. During the raid, we arrested six suspects and seized extensive evidence,” deputy commissioner of police (Central Noida) Shakti Mohan Awasthi said.

The bust comes close on the heels of the Ghaziabad police arresting a businessman who claimed to be a diplomat of four micronations, including West-arctica and fictitious Poulovia.