Siliguri: Three men were arrested for allegedly posing as officers of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and extorting money from residents across the city.
The accused have been identified as Esan Ahmed, Rehan Babar, and Manik Roy. Among them, two are residents of Panjipara and had been staying in Sevoke Road area in Siliguri, while the third hails from Shalugara, Siliguri.
According to police sources, the trio used to visit different houses posing as NIA investigators and intimidate people in the name of questioning and verification.
They allegedly collected money by threatening residents with legal action. Acting on complaints, Siliguri Metropolitan Police launched an investigation. It is reported that the group recently visited a businessman’s house in the Matigara police station area and introduced themselves as NIA officers. Under the pretext of document verification, they allegedly extorted Rs 1 lakh.
When they demanded more money later, the businessman grew suspicious and lodged a written complaint at the Matigara police station on Saturday.
Based on the complaint, the Special Operation Group (SOG) and the Detective department (DD) conducted a joint operation and arrested the trio. Police seized a car, a scooter, Rs 13,000 in cash, and six mobile phones from their possession.
Preliminary investigation suggests the accused had been using fake identities for a long time and were involved in multiple incidents of fraud. On Sunday, the arrested individuals were produced before the Siliguri court. The officers from DD suspect that a larger gang is operating behind these. Further investigation is ongoing.