Couple arrested for extorting money from senior citizen in Ghaziabad
In Ghaziabad, a couple was arrested for cheating a senior citizen of ₹11 lakh over a year, using various deceitful tactics, police reported.
A couple was arrested in Ghaziabad on Tuesday for cheating a senior citizen of ₹11 lakh on various pretexts over the past year, police said. The accused were identified as Anil Kumar Singh, 38, and his wife Priti, 36, residents of Shakarpur in east Delhi. The victim was identified as Sitaram Pandey, 62, a resident of Vasundhara in Ghaziabad.
Pandey told police that he helped the couple get married 14 years ago as Priti’s father was a family friend. He said that the couple often took money from him citing financial issues.
“In June 2024, I was told that the husband of Priti’s sister, Neha, died by suicide and police picked up Priti and her husband. Priti called me saying that police were threatening to jail them unless they paid up ₹2.35 lakh. So, I gave them ₹2.35 lakh. Sometime later, Priti called me saying that Neha’s in-laws have implicated Neha in her husband’s suicide case and police were demanding ₹1 lakh. So, I again gave them money,” Pandey said in his complaint.
Pandey cited more instances where he gave money to the accused under different pretexts. He said Priti called him on another occasion saying she needed money because Neha had died in a hospital.
“On February 15, I got a call from a man posing as an SHO who said that Priti and Anil were in police custody for being involved in Neha’s death. The man accused even me of being involved. He demanded ₹5 lakh, and I gave him ₹3 lakh. The man called again saying his seniors wanted ₹7 lakh to clear the case...I was shocked to hear all this and approached a person known to me. He advised me to approach the police,” Pandey said in his complaint.
On Monday, the Indirapuram police station registered a first information report based on Pandey’s complaint under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 319(2) (cheating by personation), 318(2) (cheating), 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), and 308(2) (extortion).
“Our teams arrested the man and his wife from near Vasundhara after getting a complaint from Pandey. The couple took ₹11 lakh from him on different pretexts and while posing as police. We are investigating and trying to find out if anyone else was aiding the couple. Strict legal action will be taken,” said Abhishek Srivastava, assistant commissioner of police of Indirapuram circle.
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