From 12th Pass to Fake Cop: Unnao Man's Unemployment Leads to a New ‘Career’ in Extortion

In a strange twist of events in Unnao, a pass student of 12th grade, frustrated by unemployment, found a new "career" in crime. The young man, identified as Shiv Baksh, resorted to donning a police uniform and posing as a cop to extort money from vehicle owners. He particularly targeted vehicles with high-security registration plates (HSRP) and those without number plates, threatening them with fake challans.

Shiv Baksh, a resident of Rae Bareli's Sareni area, had been living in Beghapur for the last month and half. Shiv Baksh had failed to get employment so he started dressing like a police officer by stitching together a police uniform and started calling himself "Rohit Singh." He started extorting money from vehicle owners, mainly in the Beghapur area. His operation seemed flawless until local police grew suspicious and received a tip-off.

On the day of bust, Shiv Baksh was held while collecting money from vehicle's drivers. The fake face of a cop was quite easily peeled off when put to questioning by real police personnel. The amount of Rs 7,300 in cash was recovered, along with his motorcycle and police uniforms among other things.

It was interesting to note that his brother is an officer of the PAC, Provincial Armed Constabulary. His adopting a false police identity might have been due to his brother. After arrest, Akhilesh Singh Additional Superintendent of Police confirmed the catching red-handed of Shiv Baksh.