India, Aug. 25 -- A former bar and restaurant singer, an ex-banker and a woman who once ran a hotel are among seven people arrested for allegedly posing as CBI officers and carrying out fake raids to intimidate targets and extract money or valuables in Delhi and Mumbai, police said on Monday. The accused allegedly arrived at a residence in Delhi's Prashant Vihar in black clothing on August 11, flashed purported CBI identity cards and threatened a businessman and his mother with a raid, only to retreat after neighbours intervened and the family questioned their credentials, police said. The seven arrested have been identified as Asifa (29), a native of Jammu and Kashmir; Pooja Aggarwal, a former singer at bars and restaurants; Kuldeep Sharma (63), a former employee of a bank; Chander Prakash Sharma (38), a former electronics repairman; and unemployed men Shubham alias Golu (25), Rajveer Singh (21), and Nitin Sharma (30). Also Read - AAP accuses BJP of failing city amid widespread waterlogging Advertisement "The case was cracked through analysis of CCTV footage, electronic evidence, technical surveillance and a purported CBI notice sent to the complainant's father," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Shashank Jaiswal said. According to the police, the incident occurred at 10 pm on August 11 when businessman Pratham Aggarwal and his mother were at their home in Prashant Vihar. A group of around eight people, including six men and two women, reached the residence and introduced themselves as CBI officials. They allegedly displayed identity cards and said they had come to conduct a raid. When Aggarwal and his mother asked them to show proper authorisation or a search warrant, the group threatened and intimidated them, the officer said. Also Read - Schools may have to reserve 15% FAR for extracurriculars The suspects remained outside the house for around 90 minutes, creating panic. When neighbours intervened, they allegedly claimed that a notice had been issued to Aggarwal's father and left saying they would retrieve it from their vehicle. The family subsequently contacted the police helpline. "A fake CBI notice was also sent to Aggarwal's father on his mobile phone. Though the original message was later deleted, the family had retained a screenshot, which became part of the investigation," the officer said. Police said an FIR was registered at Prashant Vihar police station on August 19 under sections 308(2) (extortion), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police subsequently examined CCTV footage and digital material and traced the alleged network behind the incident. Police said Asifa and Pooja allegedly gathered information on targets, while Chander arranged people for fake raids. Clothing bearing a CBI monogram and fake ID images were recovered. Videos suggest the group may have posed as CBI, ED and other officials in Delhi and Mumbai.
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