Siliguri, 18th July: An interstate criminal gang was busted by Bhaktinagar police for allegedly posing as policemen and stopping vehicles on NH 10 to extort money.
The matter came to light after one of the victims, a driver by profession, Anil Saha, of Champasari stated that the men had forced him to pay with Rs 700.
Jumping into swift action, the police launched an operation and arrested four members of the gang in the early hours of Sunday. The arrested have been identified as Dilip Lohar (29) of Dispensary More, Rangpo in East Sikkim, Raj Lohar (21) of Vivekananda Nagar, Ward No. 42, Nitesh Tamang (20) of Lower Soreng and Shiv Shankar Mahato (23) of Vivekananda Nagar, near Shani Mandir, Ward No. 42.
Reportedly, the four men were allegedly stopping vehicles plying uphill at 8th Mile (the Siliguri Police Commissionerate jurisdiction’s border), claiming to be police officers, checking their documents and demanding money from the drivers. The police seized a Bolero vehicle, torchlights, a seal bearing the name of a doctor and various other articles from the accused.
In order to mislead the drivers in the night nighttime, the men had pasted a sticker bearing “POLITE” on the Bolero vehicle. They have been charged under relevant sections of the law and a specific case is being initiated against them.