Fraudster posing as food supplies officer lands in police net
Demanded ₹5,000 from those who did not want food samples collected from their shops to be tested for adulteration and left the spot when asked for identity proof.
A fraudster posing as a food supplies officer was arrested on Thursday by the police for extorting money from shopkeepers by threatening to fine them.
In an FIR against Manpreet Singh of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar on the statement of grocery shop owner Sanjiv Kumar of New Moti Nagar, it was alleged that Singh turned up at the market on July 27 posing as a food supplies official. Singh then told the shopkeepers that he would collect samples of eatables from their shops and send these to a laboratory to be tested for adulteration and slap hefty fines on them.
The accused demanded ₹5,000 from those who did not want the food samples collected. However, when asked for identity proof he quickly left the spot and the shopkeepers informed the police.
Sanjiv Kumar added that Singh had extorted ₹1,500 from him six months ago from him using the same tactics.
Inspector Mohamad Jamil, station house officer at the Focal Point police station said Manpreet Singh had been arrested and a case under Sections 419, 420 and 170 of Indian Penal Code had been lodged against him.
