Seven held for fake CBI raids, extortion bid in Special 26-style con

Delhi Police said on Monday that they arrested seven people for pretending to be CBI officers and carrying out fake raids to extort money and valuables in Delhi and Mumbai. Among those arrested are a former bar singer, a former banker, and a woman who used to run a hotel.

It was straight out of the popular Bollywood movie Special 26. All those involved in the fake CBI raid at a businessman’s residence in Prashant Vihar had copied the roles of various characters. They wore black clothes and showed what appeared to be CBI identity cards. They threatened a businessman and his mother with a raid, but left when neighbours stepped in and the family asked for proof of identity.

The people arrested are Asifa (29), from Jammu and Kashmir; Pooja Aggarwal, a former bar singer; Kuldeep Sharma (63), a former bank worker; Chander Prakash Sharma (38), a former electronics repairman; Shubham (also known as Golu) (25), Rajveer Singh (21), and Nitin Sharma (30), who are all currently unemployed.

“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.

The incident happened at 10 pm on August 11, when businessman Pratham Aggarwal and his mother were at home in Prashant Vihar. About eight people, six men and two women, showed up and said they were CBI officials.

They showed identity cards and said they were there to conduct a raid. When asked for proper authorisation or a search warrant, the group tried to scare Aggarwal and his mother, according to police.

Police said the suspects stayed outside the house for about 90 minutes. When neighbours got involved, the group said they had sent a notice to Aggarwal’s father and left, saying they would get it from their car. The family then called 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 BNS.

Police reviewed CCTV footage and digital evidence to find out who was involved. Asifa, who used to run a hotel in Rajendra Place before it closed for financial reasons, said she knew people in the police and Army.

About eight months ago, she met Kuldeep Sharma at a family wedding, where she and Pooja claimed to have connections with the CBI. Kuldeep, a former bank worker, had met the complainant through his job and gave Asifa and Pooja information about the complainant, his home, and the possible presence of cash or valuables, according to the DCP.

Police said Pooja organised the raid by telling her brother-in-law, Chander Prakash Sharma, to find others to impersonate CBI officers.

Chander arrived with Shubham, Rajveer, Nitin, and additional associates. Police are verifying the identities of two Sikh men who were also present.

Police said they found CBI-logoed clothing from Chander and images of fake identity cards on mobile phones. Chander had contacted others to join the fake raids, and he and Asifa paid them for each job. Police seized eight mobile phones, which had images of fake identity cards and photos and videos of the group dressed as Government officials.

The investigation found evidence that the group may have done similar fake raids elsewhere. Videos from phones suggest they carried out several raids in Delhi and Mumbai, posing as CBI officials and members of other Government agencies, such as the Enforcement Directorate.

Police think the group has been active for three to four months. Investigators are checking if the targets were chosen based on financial or business details. They are reviewing CCTV, call records, and other digital evidence to confirm the roles of Chander Prakash, Shubham, Rajveer, and Nitin. The identities and involvement of other people in the Prashant Vihar case are also being investigated.