Fake Crime Branch Officer Nabbed for Extortion

A 37-year-old individual has been apprehended for impersonating a crime branch official to extort Rs 20,000 from a local trader, authorities confirmed Thursday.

The suspect, Dilip Kumar Shukla from Tulsi Patti village, was caught on Wednesday while trying to collect the sum from Shamim of Sarai Gali in Gopiganj, officials reported.

Shukla allegedly asserted that the trader's son's name was linked to a drug case and demanded the payout to 'clear his name'. A case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been filed for further probes, police stated.

(With inputs from agencies.)