Bhatkal: Cashing in on smuggling - Man poses as DRI officer, cheats people

Yahya Hallare
Daijiworld Media Network - Bhatkal

Bhatkal, Feb 27: A man was arrested on Thursday February 27 for posing as an officer of the directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) and cheating people of their money by telling them that their passports had been blacklisted for smuggling gold.

Mohammed Ashfaque Armar (42), a resident of Bhatkal, allegedly posed as 'DRI officer Ashok Kumar from New Delhi' and cheated people by producing fake documents and identity card. Interestingly, at the end of the day, it was revealed that Ashfaque was in fact an alleged criminal facing charges in his wife's suicide case!

It is said that about 10-15 days back, he approached the Manki police station and showed his documents to sub-inspector Nithyanand Pandith and constable Subramanyam, and claimed that he had been commissioned from DRI's New Delhi head office to check on certain persons whose passports had been blacklisted. He also said that he had names of 30 such persons from Manki and rest from Bhatkal and Murdeshwar.

Ashfaque, posing as officer Ashok Kumar, along with constable Subramanyam then went to the house of Mohammed Quraish Maqdoom Qazi, a resident of Manki, and told him that his passport had been blacklisted as he had brought gold from Dubai illegally. He demanded Rs one lac from Quraish to set things right, and after much negotiation, Quraish paid him his Rs 10,500.

Ashfaque and Subramanyam then visited the house of Huzaif Kadira, also a resident of Manki, and told him the same story and demanded Rs one lac. However, Huzaif denied the charges of smuggling gold from Dubai and said that he had been to the Gulf only once in his lifetime. Ashfaque also showed him a letter as 'proof' to back his claim, but Huzaif was not convinced.

Two days later, Ashfaque called him again for the money and threatened to take action if he did not pay up. Huzaif replied that he would hire an advocate to fight the case, at which Ashfaque grew anxious and told him that there was no necessity for a lawyer as no FIR had been lodged,and that he was ready to compromise. Ashfaque called him again after two days and demanded Rs 50,000, and finally Huzaif settled the matter by paying him Rs 25,000. It is said that out of this amount, Ashfaque paid Rs 3,000 to constable Subramanyam.

Ashfaque, however, was third time unluckly. On Thursday, he met his third potential victim, Munazzir Ahmed of Manki, at a hotel along with Subramanyam, and made the same demands. Munazzir who was not convinced, gathered some people who were at the hotel around him and told them that the DRI officer was demanding money from him. The people asked Ashfaque to produce his identity card. Meanwhile, a person among the crowd, who happened to be from Bhatkal, recognized Ashfaque and said that he was not a DRI officer and in fact was an accused facing charges in the suicide case of his wife.

The public, alarmed by the development gheraoed Ashfaque and the police were informed. He was soon arrested by the Manki police.

On investigation, it came to light that Ashfaque was facing charges of driving his wife to commit suicide back in 2005, and had also allegedly assaulted Qazi Khalifa Jamaat-ul-Muslimeen Maulana Khaja Akrami Madani in 2012, and also the late Abdul Ghani Mohtesham in the year 2007.

The locals allege that PSI Nithyanand and constable Subramanyam are also hand-in-glove with Ashfaque, and that they shared the money that he got from Quraish and Huzaif.

Manki police have registered a case. Ashfaque has been booked under section 420 of the IPC.