Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The Special Crime Wing of Kashmir, operating under the Crime Branch J&K, launched massive coordinated searches across multiple locations in Srinagar and Ganderbal districts on Monday, cracking down on an organised extortion racket that had been preying on senior citizens by impersonating law enforcement officials. The operation is being carried out in connection with FIR No. 18/2026, registered under Sections 204, 319(2), 308(2), 338 and 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Investigators say the gang operated with a chillingly simple but effective playbook: posing as officials of the Crime Branch and the Anti-Corruption Bureau, members would contact senior citizens and threaten them with false complaints and the prospect of arrest, using fear to extract large sums of money. The scheme has already claimed at least one confirmed victim, a senior citizen residing in Srinagar city who was extorted of over Rs. 30 lakh before the racket came onto the radar of investigators.
As part of Monday’s operation, searches were conducted at the residences of four named accused. These include Mubashir Ahmad Yatto, alias Wani, son of Ali Mohd Yatto, a resident of Rangil in Nagbal, Ganderbal; Naseer Maqbool Bichoo, son of Mohd Maqbool Bichoo, a resident of Saidakadal in Srinagar; Mudasir Sadiq Najar, son of Mohd Sadiq Najar, a resident of Naid Kadal in Srinagar; and Muneer Ahmad Mir, son of Abdul Rashid Mir, a resident of Elahi Bagh in Srinagar. The coordinated nature of the raids, spanning both Srinagar and Ganderbal simultaneously, points to an investigation that had been building evidence against the network for some time before Monday’s action.
Impersonation-based extortion targeting the elderly has emerged as a growing concern for law enforcement across Jammu and Kashmir in recent years, exploiting both the trust citizens place in uniformed authority and the fear that even an unfounded complaint can trigger legal trouble. Senior citizens, often living alone or without immediate family support to verify such claims, have proven particularly vulnerable to these tactics.
The Special Crime Wing’s action signals a firm response from the Crime Branch to root out such networks, with officials indicating that the investigation remains active and further searches or arrests could follow as evidence from Monday’s raids is examined. Authorities have urged residents to independently verify the credentials of anyone claiming to represent law enforcement agencies before responding to threats or demands over the phone.
