A gang posing as Income Tax officials has been busted in Uttar Pradesh after shopkeepers in Ghazipur’s Shadiyabad market alerted police to an extortion attempt.
The shopkeepers caught three members of the gang and handed them over to the police, while the gang leader escaped. Confirming their arrests, Ghazipur City SP Rakesh Mishra said teams have been formed to arrest the mastermind – Sars Kumar Gupta.
Shopkeepers in Shadiyabad and Saidpur markets had been complaining about extortion by a gang for several days. The gang members posed as income tax officials, conducted fake raids on shops, and intimidated shopkeepers into handing over large sums of money.
The problem reached a tipping point when a group of shopkeepers informed Ikramul Haq, president of the Industrial Trade Board, about the “income-tax raids” in Shadiyabad market. They had turned suspicious about these raids following their interaction with the gang members.
When the gang tried to intimidate some shopkeepers during another fake raid, they alerted the police and managed to capture three members. Reports indicate there are eight people in the gang, including one woman.
Local shopkeepers later filed a complaint at Shadiyabad police station, demanding a thorough investigation and strict action against the culprits.
Ghazipur Police are interrogating the gang members and continue to investigate the entire network. Gupta, the mastermind behind these fake raids, remains at large.
Meanwhile, a photo of Gupta with Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari has surfaced on social media, drawing sharp reactions from netizens.
