JOIN USSix people, including a history-sheeter, have been arrested for extorting money from a businessman by posing as members of the state human rights organisation, police said.
Ramachandra and five of his accomplices visited a handbag-manufacturing unit in Sampigehalli, North Bengaluru, by posing as members of the human rights organisation and confronted the owner, Shahbaz, for "employing" child labourers. They asked him to pay Rs 2 lakh or they would file a criminal case against him and lock down his firm.
Shahbaz sought some time to arrange the money. Meanwhile, the gang demanded refreshment.
Doubting their bona fides, Shahbaz informed a friend who, in turn, alerted the jurisdictional Sampigehalli police.
The police rushed to the spot and arrested the gang. A preliminary investigation showed that Ramachandra is a history-sheeter at the Indiranagar police station as there are several cases against him. The other suspects were identified as Santosh Kumar, Praveen Kumar, Puttaraju, Karthik and Nikhil Oliver.
Police registered a case and recovered fake ID cards from the suspects. They are also investigating whether the suspects were involved in similar extortion and impersonation cases.