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).
How the fake CBI raid unfolded
"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.
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 trace alleged network
Police subsequently examined CCTV footage and digital material and traced the alleged network behind the incident.
Police said Asifa had earlier operated a hotel in Rajendra Place, which was later shut down after suffering losses. She had interacted with people from police and Army backgrounds and allegedly projected herself as being connected with such personnel.
"Around eight months ago, she met Kuldeep Sharma at a family marriage, where she and Pooja represented themselves as being connected with the CBI. Kuldeep, who had worked with a bank, had come into contact with the complainant through his banking-related work. He provided Asifa and Pooja information about the complainant, his residence and the possible availability of cash or valuables there," the DCP said.
Pooja allegedly played a key role in arranging manpower for the purported raid. Police said she contacted her brother-in-law Chander Prakash Sharma and asked him to arrange people who could pose as CBI personnel.
Chander arrived with Shubham, Rajveer, Nitin and other associates, including two Sikh men whose identities are being verified.
Fake IDs and CBI-marked clothing recovered
Police said clothing bearing a CBI monogram was recovered from Chander, while images of fake identity cards were found on mobile phones.
"Shubham, Rajveer and Nitin told police that they had been contacted by Chander to participate in the fake raids and were paid by him and Asifa for each such operation. Eight mobile phones have been seized. The devices contained images of fake identity cards as well as photographs and videos showing members of the group dressed as government officials," the officer said.
The investigation has also uncovered material suggesting that the accused may have conducted similar operations at other locations.
According to the police, videos recovered from the seized phones indicate that members of the group may have carried out multiple raids in Delhi and Mumbai while posing not only as CBI officials but also as personnel of the Enforcement Directorate and other government agencies, police said.
Probe underway to identify more victims
The accused are suspected to have been involved in such activities for around three to four months. Police are now examining whether the group targeted people after obtaining information about their financial position, business dealings or possession of cash and valuables.
Police are also verifying the precise roles of Chander Prakash, Shubham, Rajveer and Nitin through CCTV footage, call detail records, technical surveillance and other digital evidence. The identities and roles of other associates who allegedly participated in the Prashant Vihar operation are also being ascertained.
Further investigation is underway to establish the full network and identify other victims and incidents linked to the group, police said.