News Brief
Arjun Brij
Aug 12, 2025, 04:24 PM | Updated 04:24 PM IST
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Less than a month after the exposure of a “fake embassy” in Ghaziabad, Noida Police have uncovered another unusual fraud — a fully operational fake police station allegedly set up to extort money, according to one Indian Express report.
On 10 August, police confirmed the arrest of six men accused of operating a sham outfit called the “International Police & Crime Investigation Bureau” in Noida.
The suspects identified as Bibhash Chandra Adhikari, Aragya Adhikari, Babul Chandra Mandal, Pintu Pal, Samapadmal, and Ashish Kumar are originally from various districts of West Bengal. Adhikari is a former Trinamool Congress leader who had been questioned by central agencies in connection with the teacher recruitment scam.
Within a week of moving in, the group reportedly installed boards featuring a insignia and colour scheme strikingly similar to that of central police forces.
They allegedly claimed to have links with Interpol and the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), asserted they had a UK office, and presented themselves as experts in “international crimes and criminals.”
“They were projecting themselves as a parallel police organisation and promising to get official work done. The logo they used was similar to a government police insignia, but no copyright or trademark existed for it,” Shakti Mohan Avasthy, DCP (Central) was quoted as saying.
Investigators say the accused fabricated certificates in the names of ministries including Tribal Affairs and Social Justice to appear legitimate. They also ran a website displaying these forged documents while collecting “donations.”
During a raid on 10 August, officers seized nine mobile phones, 17 stamp seals, six cheque books, nine ID cards, four boards carrying the bureau’s name, forged ministry certificates, visiting cards, a CPU, and Rs 42,300 in cash. Press passes and purported IHRC identity cards were also recovered.
An FIR has been lodged at Phase 3 police station citing offences of impersonation, forgery, and cheating, alongside provisions of the IT Act and the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950.
Arjun Brij is an Editorial Associate at Swarajya. He tweets at @arjun_brij