The Vuyyuru police in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district arrested two people for posing as officials of the Vigilance and Enforcement Directorate (V&E) and indulging in alleged extortion of several lakh rupees.
The police said that they specially targeted traders in Vuyyuru town after dressing in formal clothes and claiming to be DSP level officers.
The two accused, identified as Vijayawada residents K Srinivasa Rao and Balaji Babu even created fake identity cards of the V&E department.
According to reports, they even hired a car for conducting the ‘raids’ at commercial complexes or markets. This would convince the traders that they were not fake officials.
The incident came to light when a trader from Vuyyuru grew suspicious and approached the police.
“As the traders did not approach police earlier, fearing action against them, these fake V&E officials’ fraudulent activities never came to light.It is learnt that the two had been in extortion business for the last four months. But, when one rice trader brought the issue to us, we arrested the two and initiated a detailed investigation,” Vuyyuru police inspector Satyanandam told reporters.
In September last year, in an incident that created a flutter at the Andhra Pradesh secretariat in Velagapudi, a man seeking a job forged the signature of state Tourism Minister Bhuma Akhila Priya, and then met her with the same letter.
After meeting the Minister with the fabricated letter, the man complained that her orders were not being followed by officials.
The man was identified as 'Ali', who claimed to be a TDP supporter, and came armed with a 'recommendation letter' by Akhila that prescribed a job for him.
When the man approached Akhila Priya itself with the letter, she realised that it was forged.
“I alerted the officials and asked them to give a stern warning to the person. No action will be taken against him, but the officials have been asked to warn him,” she later told reporters.