64-year-old Kerala man arrested after 25 years posing as cop to extort money

Keralam man who had been conning people for 25 years by posing as a cop is arrested in Mangaluru

The Central Crime Branch of Mangaluru City Police has arrested a 64-year-old serial fraudster who vanished after securing bail in September 2023, ending a hunt that began when he failed to appear in court. Sam Peter, who posed as an officer of the National Crime Investigation Bureau to extort money from people embroiled in financial disputes, had evaded capture for nearly two years despite multiple court proclamations.

Two-decade fraud trail across 10 states

Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy confirmed that Peter, a native of Kavannadu in Kollam, Keralam, faces at least 17 registered cases of cheating and fraud across multiple jurisdictions. The cases span Mangaluru City East, Ullal, Konaje, Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru, Udupi, and Kushalnagar, as well as the states of Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh.

Interpol issued a red corner notice against the accused in 2001, indicating the international dimension of his alleged crimes. Courts issued warrants against him 17 times in the Ullal case alone and 14 times in the East Police Station case.

Gang operated under multiple aliases

Operating under at least 10 different identities, including Danny Tarakan, Anthony, Shyam Peter, Rahul Peter, Rajesh Robinson, Ritu Richard, Roy Jacob, Robin Richardson, Robinson, Antony Francis, and Sharon Francis, Peter formed a gang that impersonated NCIB officers. The group targeted individuals involved in financial disputes, bank fraud, and tax evasion cases, deceiving and extorting money by pretending to represent the fabricated crime investigation bureau.

Mangaluru East Police first arrested Peter along with eight associates from a lodge at Pumpwell on August 16, 2019. Red corner notices issued before that arrest were withdrawn during legal proceedings, but he disappeared after obtaining bail four years later.

Peter has been handed over to the East police for further investigation, Reddy said.

Source: The Hindu