In a sensational case, the Crime Branch arrested two cheats, including one former journalist, who extorted money from high-level Government officials on Friday.
Investigation into the case helped police understand the modus operandi of the two cheats, 39-year-old Sanjay Kumar Tiwari and his accomplice, Gaurav Sharma, who had targeted more than a dozen politicians from Jharkhand and the seven States of North-east.
Sources said Sanjay Kumar Tiwari was arrested by the Special Cell under section 420 of IPC in April last year.
The cover of the cheats was blown when on January 24, one Sushant Mukherjee, the Personal Secretary to Jharkhand Government's Minister of Revenue, Registration and land approached the Delhi Police complaining that for the past three days, an unidentified man, posing himself as Ram Madhav, the National General Secretary of the BJP, had been calling the Jharkhand Minister Amar Kumar Bauri to pay money for party funds for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Adamant to get the money, the imposter claimed that he has sent a person on his behalf to the Jharkhand Bhawan at Vasant Vihar in South Delhi.
It was only when a thorough verification from the office of Ram Madhavi, led the complainant to believe that an organised racket was behind the calls.
Investigation into the contents of the complaint led police to the involvement of an organised gang. Based on which a case was registered. Technical surveillance was mounted.
"On January 25, our team reached a breakthrough when we received a specific information that one Sanjay Kumar Tiwari will come near ITO to meet his accomplices. A team under DCP Madhur Verma laid a trap and and at about 12:15pm, Sanjay Kumar Tiwari along with his associate Gaurav Sharma were apprehended at the instance of the informer," said Ravindra Yadav.
During sustained interrogation, the two revealed that Tiwari had cheated several prominent Government officials. Jailed in October 2016, Tiwari, a native of Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh was released in November.
Blaming demonitisation for the losses incurred on his illegal activities, Tiwari went back to the same activities in December.
"During interrogation, he disclosed that he cheated Rs 50,000 from Pramita Rani Brahma of Assam BJP where he impersonated as the Personal Secretary to the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region," said Yadav.
A senior police officer privy to the investigation said Tiwari came to Delhi with merely Rs 70 in his pocket and for years resided in the slums of East Delhi and started writing poetries. It was while doing so he came in touch with a few journalists and interviewed several leaders from the Northeastern State, said the officer, adding that he landed a job in Jain TV and wrote a regular column in a leading Hindi daily.
The officer said he was paid by Ministers for being interviewed and carried sting operations on several leaders.
Tiwari was rusticated from school and was a 10th dropout.
DCP Madhur Verma said Tiwari owns two flats in East Delhi and bungalow in Ghaziabad.