Bengaluru fake cop who preyed on couples near parks nabbed after 15 years of extortion

A conman posing as a Bengaluru cop extorted couples near parks for 15 years. Arrested by Jayanagar police, Asif Khan blackmailed victims for money and valuables. Authorities recovered stolen gold and urged more victims to come forward.  

For over 15 years, couples seeking privacy in their parked cars near lakes and parks in Bengaluru unknowingly became targets of a notorious conman posing as a police officer.

The fraudster, identified as 42-year-old Asif Khan alias Pisto, was finally arrested by Jayanagar police after multiple complaints of extortion, reports Times of India.

A resident of Ganganagar and a part-time autorickshaw driver, Khan had a long history of deception. Having failed his 10th-grade exams, he found a more lucrative trade—blackmailing unsuspecting couples under the pretense of moral policing. 

He would approach them, introduce himself as a police officer, and accuse them of engaging in public indecency. Threatening to file cases, he would demand money in exchange for letting them go, the TOI report said.

Despite being arrested in 2018, Khan resumed his racket and continued extorting couples. On March 5, he targeted a 41-year-old private firm employee sitting in his car with a female colleague near the RV Metro Station in Jayanagar. Riding a two-wheeler, Khan intercepted them, accused them of wrongdoing, and forced the man onto his bike. He took him to a secluded location, robbed him of a 12-gram gold chain and a 5-gram ring, and later forced him to withdraw Rs 10,000 from an ATM.

The victim filed a complaint the same night, prompting police to intensify their investigation. A similar case was reported on March 9, and detectives soon uncovered at least three such incidents, including one from the previous year. With 19 complaints lodged against him over the years, Khan had managed to evade justice until now.

Police have reportedly recovered 80 grams of gold from him and are working to trace additional stolen assets. Authorities urge any past victims of Khan’s extortion scheme to step forward and file complaints at the Jayanagar police station or their nearest police outpost.