In the urban expanse of Jalandhar, law enforcement authorities assert their success in dismantling a clandestine quartet engaged in coercive financial exactions, masquerading with the facade of government functionaries, reliable sources disclosed on the day of reckoning. The apprehended perpetrators, namely Sunny Mahindru, Ajay Kumar, Mishti, and Manpreet, all denizens of Jalandhar, stand accused of orchestrating this nefarious operation.

A spokesperson representing the Jalandhar Police divulged that the malefactors specialized in targeting proprietors of edifices, adopting the guile of municipal corporation officials. Notably, some members of this deceptive cohort also feigned journalistic pursuits, managing their own online platforms, as per the police spokesperson’s revelation. The breakthrough in unveiling this syndicate transpired under the directive of the Jalandhar Commissionerate Police, led by the sagacious Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma.

Commissioner Sharma elucidated that the criminal syndicate’s activities surfaced following a plaintive narrative from a victim, who asserted that the quartet had descended upon his nascent domicile, posing as field operatives of the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation. Sharma expounded that the fraudsters, under the ruse of municipal officers, apprised the complainant, Chatar Singh, of an alleged absence of legal sanction for his construction project, coupled with a menacing ultimatum of demolition.

The police chief elucidated that subsequent to the menacing encounter, the accused demanded a monetary sum of Rs 10,000 from the beleaguered property owner. Following an initial disbursement of Rs 5,000, the victim grew skeptical of the perpetrators’ authenticity, prompting a summoning of the Emergency Response Services (ERS) team and the local constabulary. Commissioner Swapan Sharma highlighted the swift apprehension of the felonious quartet near the environs of Lawrence School.

In connection with the criminal machinations, Commissioner Sharma disclosed that the accused have been officially charged under sections 384, 419, 420, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, detailed in the First Information Report (FIR)/Case 43, dated 08-02-2024, at the Rama Mandi Jalandhar police station. Commissioner Sharma further intimated that the gang has a documented history of defrauding unsuspecting individuals by adopting various false identities within disparate bureaucratic domains. He asserted that ongoing investigations would yield additional details, with subsequent revelations forthcoming in due course.