Ballia: Police have arrested six people for allegedly extorting money from motorists by forcibly pasting reflective stickers on their vehicles in Ballia district, officials said on Tuesday. A police constable posted in neighbouring Ghazipur district and a home guard are also suspected to be involved in the racket, and efforts are underway to trace them.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Alok Gupta said the matter came to light after information was received that a group travelling in a Bolero vehicle was stopping motorists near Kisan Inter College and demanding money in the name of fixing high-visibility radium stickers.
The case was registered following a complaint by Rameshwar Singh Dabbu, a resident of Sardaspur village, who alleged that seven unidentified persons extorted money from him. Based on his complaint, an FIR under Section 308 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was lodged at Rasra Kotwali police station on Monday.
According to Dabbu, the incident occurred on Sunday night when he was returning home via the Rasra–Kasimabad road. He claimed his vehicle was stopped by a group of men, two of whom were wearing police uniforms. They allegedly demanded money for radium stickers and threatened him with violence when he refused to pay.
Acting swiftly, police arrested Anuj Giri and Mandeep Maurya, both 22-year-old residents of Kahinaur village in Mau district. The remaining accused were identified as Ramdhyayan Yadav, 32, of Gajenderpur village, and Dheeraj Giri (25), Amit Giri (27) and Ajay Yadav (30), all residents of Azamgarh district.
During the arrests, police recovered 284 collection slips with amounts ranging between ₹50 and ₹300, bundles of white, red and yellow radium stickers, six mobile phones and ₹12,530 in cash, the officer said.
The crackdown comes at a time when fog has significantly reduced visibility on roads. The Uttar Pradesh government has recently directed authorities to strengthen anti-collision measures, including the distribution of reflective tapes, which the accused allegedly misused to extort money from unsuspecting motorists.
Investigations are continuing to ascertain the role of the suspected police personnel and to determine if the racket was operating in other areas as well.
