Ghaziabad Man Arrested for Posing as RTO Officer in Online Challan Scam

Ghaziabad Man Arrested for Posing as RTO Officer: Delhi Police has arrested a 38-year-old resident of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, for impersonating an officer of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and cheating unsuspecting owners of vehicles in an online challan scam, an official said on Sunday.

The accused has been identified as Ashish Sharma, who allegedly called up the victims claiming to be an RTO officer and told them about pending challans on commercial vehicles, he said.

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"Using vehicle registration details, he threatened that their permits would be cancelled if fines were not paid immediately," said the police officer.

The victim was threated to make an online transfer of ₹12,500 as challan fine and was later reported to police when he realised that he had been cheated.

The accused was tracked through bank transactions and call records.

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As to police, Sharma confessed that he previously worked at the Ghaziabad RTO as a private agent where he had easy access to unsecured storage areas with old vehicle registration files.

This was then used along with another downloaded data source to target vehicle owners. In order to give himself credibility, he also pasted police logos and officer images on his calling profile, they said.

The officer said that police have recovered two mobiles and a stash of bank account outfits that were used in the crimes. He added that the inquiry is still ongoing.

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