Two fake CBI officers nabbed in Mumbai

Two men posing as CBI officers and extorting money from Bollywood personalities and industrialists have been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation

The arrests follow complaints from at least 20 film and business personalities of harassment, threats and extortion by the duo, according to a top CBI official.

The duo have been identified as Rajesh Ranjan of Hardia in Bihar's East Champaran district and Ashwinikumar Sharma of Panipat district of Haryana, according to the official.

The CBI seized Rs.2.80 million from them and also recovered documents pertaining to investments in realty. The two are currently in the CBI custody.

While Ranjan holds an MBA in marketing from LN Mishra Institute of Economic Development, Patna, Sharma is an SSC pass and runs a loss-making garment unit in his home-town.

Sharma, who has been described as having a good personality, would travel in a vehicle with an beacon light, conveying the impression that he was an official VIP.

Similarly, Ranjan would dress well, moved around with attractive women and flaunted his alleged connections with top police and central and state government officers to trap innocent victims.

The two men usually offered their victims help and solutions to pending CBI matters or complaints against them by promising to use their goodwill with the top government or police officers.

After trapping their victims, they would extort huge sums of money - not specified by the CBI - from them under threat of raiding or investigating them.

At least 20 victims have so far approached the CBI complaining about the duo and the investigating agency has appealed to other victims to come forward in confidence to help the probe.

Ranjan had worked as a sales officer in Arvind Mills and as sales executive with Samsung in Mumbai when he developed high level social contacts.