Yahya Hallare
Daijiworld Media Network - Bhatkal

Bhatkal, Dec 14: Three persons, including the prime accused, have been arrested on charges of faking identity cards of customs, Lokayukta and officials of various other top agencies and extorting money from people and officials in several parts of Uttara Kannada district.

The arrested are prime accused Mohammed Ashfaq, a resident of Rangikatte here, Mohammed Afrahim (21) from Murdeshwar, and Raghavendra (22), from Belake.

Ashfaq

Afrahim and Raghavendra

Among them, Ashfaq was arrested by the Mumbai police when he tried to use fake identity card at Mumbai airport. Based on the information provided during his interoggation, the police later arrested Afrahim and Raghavendra for helping him make the fake ID cards.

The three have been taken to Mumbai for further investigation, sources said.

Ashfaq is said to be a notorious name in the district. He has been accused in several cases. He allegedly carried fake identity cards of revenue intelligence officials and extorted money from gold transporters in Honnavar and Manki. He had been arrested by the Manki police.
Interestingly, being well-versed in English and Hindi, he had even hoodwinked the Manki police in the guise of revenue intelligence official, and taken their help to even trace gold transporters! Later, a person who recognized him at a restaurant informed the police and Ashfaq was arrested.

After his release, Ashfaq lay low for a while, and then it came to be known that he had taken the guise of a Lokayukta official in Murdeshwar. He learnt the sources of income of gold merchants in Bhatkal, and whenever he came to know about gold smuggling in airports of Goa, Mumbai and Bengaluru, he would catch hold of the smugglers himself using fake IDs, and extort money from them. This too came to the notice of the police and he was arrested.

This time, however, he had taken along four others as accomplices. He got hold of information that a person by name Rehmatullah, a resident of Mukka Colony in Venkatapura, was bringing gold from Dubai and landing at Mumbai airport. Ashfaq then left for Mumbai airport along with his accomplices. Using fake ID, he claimed to be a customs official and fleeced 100 grams of gold and 15,800 in cash from Rehmatullah. However, when he tried to escape with the loot, he was intercepted by the airport security and arrested. The four accomplices, including Afrahim, managed to flee.

Afrahim was later arrested by the Mumbai police in Murdeshwar. Sources said that the other accused, Raghavendra, runs a photo animation studio at Murdeshwar National Colony. It is learnt that Afrahim came to him with a pendrive and asked him to take a printout. Raghavendra was not too familiar with Ashfaq, but agreed to do the work of making fake IDs for a sum of Rs 30,000, it is learnt. The role of the other accomplices who managed to flee from the police is yet to be ascertained.