New Delhi: Delhi Police have arrested a 38-year-old individual from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, for impersonating a Regional Transport Office (RTO) officer and defrauding unsuspecting vehicle owners in an online challan scam, as reported by an official on Sunday.
The suspect, named Ashish Sharma, allegedly masqueraded as an RTO officer and reached out to victims, claiming there were outstanding challans on their commercial vehicles.
“By utilizing vehicle registration information, he intimidated them with threats of permit cancellation if fines were not paid immediately,” the police officer stated.
One complainant was pressured into transferring ₹12,500 online as a challan fine. He later reported the incident to the police upon realizing he had been scammed.
The authorities tracked the accused through bank transactions and call records.
During questioning, Sharma admitted that he had previously worked as a private agent at the Ghaziabad RTO office, where he had access to outdated vehicle registration files kept in unsecured locations, according to police.
He exploited this information, along with data from an online application, to target vehicle owners. To bolster his credibility, he even incorporated police logos and images of officers into his calling profile, they added.
The officer noted that the police seized two mobile phones and various bank account kits used in the fraudulent activities.
An ongoing investigation is being conducted, he concluded.
