India, March 8 -- The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a 41-year-old man on Saturday for allegedly posing as the private secretary to the Union minister of home affairs and cooperation and calling police officers to influence cases, including lodging FIRs or seeking relief for accused persons.

The accused, Mohammad Tariq Pathan, a resident of Khed in Ratnagiri, was arrested from a hotel near APMC Market in Vashi.

"We are questioning him to find his exact style of cheating," said a police officer. Investigators are also trying to ascertain how many cases he influenced and how much money he collected from people.

Police said Pathan allegedly posed as Pawankumar Yadav, private secretary to Union home minister Amit Shah, and contacted seni...