In India, scammers ran a fake police station for eight months and extorted money from people

The "police station" was organized in the hotel and made money by taking money from those who turned to the "station" for help. The Guardian writes about it.

The "office" was opened by the criminals 500 meters from the house of the real head of the local police. The perpetrators wore real uniforms and hired extras from the surrounding villages to pretend to be other policemen working in the station.

They took bribes for the quick consideration of cases or, conversely, for not giving a case a go. The scammers promised to help with the organization of social assistance or help with employment for money.

The swindlers were uncovered when a real police officer drew attention to the fake service weapons of two rogue officers.

Indian police launched an official investigation.

Six members of the gang were detained, two of them women, but the leader of the group is still at large.

Cases of scammers impersonating police officers are common in India. This is due to the fact that people in uniform enjoy almost unquestioning authority among local residents, writes The Guardian.