Indian gang ran fake police station out of hotel for eight months

Six arrested but ringleader still at large after fraudsters in Bihar charged money to locals and paid others to work there

An Indian gang operated a fake police station from a hotel for eight months where they dressed up as officers and are believed to have extorted money from hundreds of people, an official has said.

Incidents of fraudsters pretending to be police or soldiers are common in India, where there is widespread fear of and respect for those in uniform, but setting up a bogus police station takes the scams up a level.