A fraud racket that used the health department's name to extort money from medical shops has been busted in Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur district. Police in the Shahganj Kotwali area arrested a man who had been posing as a member of the Chief Medical Officer's (CMO) team to threaten and rob private clinic and medical store operators. The way the accused operated closely resembled the fake-raid tactics shown in actor Akshay Kumar's popular film Special 26, where impostors pose as government officials to extract money from unsuspecting victims.
Fear tactics on wheels
According to the police, the gang followed a carefully rehearsed routine. Members would arrive by car at a private clinic or medical store, walk in with an air of authority, and introduce themselves as senior officials from the CMO office. They would then declare the establishment fake or unauthorised, threaten to seal it, and warn the owner of criminal action and jail time. Once the victim was sufficiently rattled, the gang demanded thousands of rupees in exchange for calling off the action and letting the matter go quietly. Police suspect the group sometimes hit two or three shops in a single day before anyone could catch on.
A dispensary owner's complaint blew the lid off
The scam surfaced after Lakshmi Shankar Yadav, who runs a dispensary in the Natauli locality of Shahganj, approached the police with a complaint. He said the fake officials had threatened him with action and demanded Rs 20,000. After being intimidated for a while, he ended up handing over Rs 3,000 under pressure. His detailed complaint gave investigators the lead they needed to move against the gang.
Main accused arrested, hunt on for the rest
The moment the complaint came in, Shahganj police swung into action and launched an investigation. They arrested the gang's main wanted accused, Ramniwas Gautam, from the same Natauli area; he is a resident of Chhatarpur police station area in Bardah, Azamgarh district. After the arrest, police paraded him through the locality. Investigators suspect the gang extorted money from several other medical operators in the city using the same method, and CCTV footage from the surrounding area is now being scanned for evidence. Police also said Ramniwas has a criminal history, with serious cases already registered against him earlier. He has been sent to court, while a search is underway for the other accomplices linked to the gang.
