The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has exposed a group led by conman Sadiq Qureshi, which has been extorting large sums of money from Central Government officials in the city over the past few years. Qureshi was apprehended by the CBI on November 2, 2023, after attempting to extort money from a senior Divisional Mechanical Engineer of Central Railway in Nagpur. He posed as a Personnel Assistant of the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of CBI Nagpur during the attempt.

 

Sources reveal that Qureshi and three accomplices were actively involved in extortion activities targeting officials from Indian Railways, Western Coalfields Ltd, Income Tax, Manganese Ore India Ltd, State-run Petroleum companies, and others. The gang, led by Qureshi, a person posing as a CBI official, a driver, and another posing as Qureshi’s PA, would intimidate Central government officers in the guise of impending CBI action. They exploited this fear to extort significant amounts of money from these officials.

 

The gang would use FIRs (downloaded from CBI’s website) and bogus visiting cards to bolster their claims. They even presented themselves as being involved in "secret inquiries" conducted by the CBI against government officials. Qureshi’s associates, including the fake CBI official, driver, and the person posing as Qureshi’s PA, will soon face arrest as the CBI has solid evidence against them, revealed top sources. The fraudulent gang deceived officials by promising protection from CBI action in exchange for money which lead some officials to cover Qureshi’s expenses. This included payments for stays at five-star hotels in Nagpur city and arranging flight tickets through a travel agent involved in train ticket bookings. The CBI has scrutinised Qureshi’s Call Detail Records and identified government officials connected to him.