'International Police Bureau' in Noida: How 6 Bengal residents were running fake office in Sector 70

The Noida Police have arrested six men for running a fake office and posing as members of international police organisations to mislead people. Officials said the group used forged documents, false identities, and official-looking logos to appear legitimate and extract money from unsuspecting individuals, Hindustan Times reported.

As per the report, the arrests were made during a midnight raid at BS-136 in Sector 70 on the night between Saturday and Sunday. Acting on a tip-off, police found that the premises were being run to resemble an official agency. During the raid, officers seized a large amount of evidence, including nine mobile phones, 17 stamp seals, six cheque books, nine identity cards, a PAN card, a voter ID card, six ATM cards, several types of visiting cards, certificates claiming recognition from various ministries, and a CPU. Police also recovered four boards displaying the name “International Police and Crime Investigation Bureau,” Rs 42,300 in cash, and other incriminating documents.

According to police, the accused are residents of West Bengal. They pretended to be government officials as well and influenced locals with the logo of the office. They had rented an office recently in sector 70 in Central Noida.

“We successfully disrupted a well-orchestrated fraud operation. The accused had established a hoax office in Sector 70 under the guise of the ‘International Police & Crime Investigation Bureau,’ using police-like insignia and fabricated ministry documents to deceive the public and extort money. During the raid, we arrested six suspects and seized extensive evidence,” HT quoted deputy commissioner of police (Central Noida) Shakti Mohan Awasthi as saying.

According to the police, the accused had rented the Sector 70 office on June 4 and had been operating it for the past 10–15 days. They also had a website, www.intlpcrib.in, through which they collected donations. The investigation revealed that the gang displayed fake certificates supposedly issued by central ministries such as the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the Ministry of Ayush, and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. They also claimed links to groups like Interpol, the International Human Rights Commission, and Eurasia Pol, even boasting of having an office in the United Kingdom, the HT report said.

The arrested men were identified as Vibhash Chandra Adhikari (27), an arts graduate; Aragya Adhikari (26), a law graduate; Pintu Pal (27); Samapdal (25); Babul Chandra Mandal (27); and Ashish Kumar (57). While the first four are from Birbhum district in West Bengal, Mandal is from 24 Parganas, and Kumar is from Kolkata. Except for the two graduates, all others have studied up to Class 12.

Police said the group also kept multiple press ID cards, international human rights IDs, and official-looking stamps to make their operation appear authentic. “They were trying to run a parallel system to the police. Although they had only just started and had so far managed to target a limited number of people, we are investigating to identify more victims,” Awasthi said.

Police added that the gang used colours, designs, and emblems similar to those used by law enforcement agencies to further mislead people.

A case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Information Technology Act, and the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act at Phase 3 police station in Central Noida.