Two housekeeping employees, working at a Central Government GST office, posed as "Intelligence Officers" and ran an extortion racket targeting city traders before being caught in Bengaluru.
Rs 5 lakh in cash and forged government IDs were recovered from them, the police said.
The accused were contractual workers at the Office of the Principal Commissioner of Central Tax (GST), Bengaluru, West Commissionerate, in the Banashankari locality of the city.
Familiar with the functioning of the office and official procedures, the duo allegedly devised a plan to exploit the fear associated with tax enforcement agencies.
From Cleaning Staff to 'Central Officers'
Police said the two men created professional-looking identity cards, carrying the designation "Intelligence Officer - GST & CLTS." Projecting fake authority and official-style behaviour, they targeted gutka traders, the police said.
Posing as Central Government intelligence officials, they reportedly threatened one of the traders with legal action and raids, creating panic and coercing him into paying money to settle the matter.
Believing the men to be genuine officers, the trader handed over lakhs of rupees.
The fraud came to light when officials from the GST office noticed suspicious activities and filed a complaint at Banashankari Police Station on February 17.
Police launched an investigation and detained the suspects from a room allotted to them within the office premises, stunning their co-workers.
During questioning, the accused allegedly confessed that they planned the crime purely to make quick money using fake authority.
The police seized three forged government identity cards labelled Intelligence Officer.
The accused were produced before a court on February 18 and sent to six days' of police custody.
After detailed interrogation, they were remanded in judicial custody on February 23.
