Rajkot: Two men accused of posing as police officers and attempting to extort Rs 50,000 from a group of young men were arrested on Monday. The accused, identified as Aryan Faldu and Parmaraj Manjariya, were arrested after a complaint filed on Sunday by Kirit Pithadiya, a 31-year-old labourer living in the Mavdi Plot area. University police have booked the two under BNS Sections 204, 205, 308, 62, 351 (2) and others.According to police, the incident took place on the night of June 12 near a cricket ground in the Raiyadhar Shantinagar area. Pithadiya was with his friends Naresh Panchal, Ravi Chavda and Bhargav Jogar when the two accused arrived on an electric scooter.The suspects allegedly introduced themselves as cops from the Malviya Nagar police station. One of them was allegedly wearing a jacket bearing the police force’s logo. The duo allegedly questioned the youths about why they were sitting in the area and threatened them with police action and physical assault. They allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 in exchange for not taking them to the police station.The group became suspicious of their conduct and asked the pair to produce official identification. The accused identified themselves as Aryan Faldu and Parmaraj Manjariya but failed to provide any proof of being police officers. They later fled the scene.Following the complaint, University police launched a search operation using technical surveillance and human intelligence inputs, leading to their arrest.Preliminary findings suggest the two men impersonated police officers in an attempt to extort money for personal expenses. Police are now investigating if the accused had targeted other individuals.Officials said further questioning of the accused is underway and additional details are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses.
