Mangaluru: The Mangaluru City Crime Branch (CCB) has arrested a 64-year-old man who allegedly impersonated officials of national investigative agencies to cheat and extort money from people involved in financial and legal disputes.

The arrested man has been identified as Sam Peter, also known by several aliases including Danny Tarakan, Antony, T Sam Peter and Rahul Peter. A native of Kavanadu in Kollam, Kerala, Peter had been residing in Sarojini Nagar, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

According to Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy CH, Peter allegedly operated a gang that posed as officials of various national investigative agencies, including the National Crime Investigation Bureau (NCIB).

The gang allegedly targeted people facing cases or disputes related to financial transactions, bank fraud and tax evasion. By claiming to be authorised officials, the accused allegedly threatened or misled victims and collected money from them through cheating and extortion.

Arrested in 2019, later went absconding

On August 16, 2019, Mangaluru East Police raided a lodge at Pumpwell and arrested Peter along with eight alleged associates. He was subsequently granted bail by the court.

However, Peter allegedly failed to appear for the trial proceedings and went absconding. Police said he remained unavailable for nearly three years before being traced and arrested.

The Commissioner said Peter frequently changed his identity and used different names in different locations to evade the police.

During the investigation, police found that he had allegedly used names including Antony, Rahul Peter, Sam Peter, Rajesh Robinson, Ritu Richard, Roy Jacob, Robin Richardson, Robinson, Antony Francis, Sharoon Francis and, most recently, Danny Tarakan.

According to police, Peter followed a pattern of allegedly committing offences in one location, moving to another and assuming a different identity to avoid detection.

Red Corner Notice issued

Police said an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) had been issued against Peter under the alias Rahul Peter in 2001.

Around 17 cases involving cheating and fraud have been registered against him at various police stations across several states. These include cases in Mangaluru East, Ullal, Konaje, Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru, Udupi City and Kushalnagar, as well as in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.

Peter was also facing multiple warrants. Seventeen warrants had been issued against him in connection with a case registered at Ullal police station, while warrants were issued against him 14 times in the Mangaluru East police case.

As he continued to remain unavailable, the court subsequently issued a proclamation against him, Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy said.

“He is a notorious criminal and has taken many names and is moving continuously. His RCN was closed after his arrest earlier, but he continued his offences. After getting bail in September 2023, he went absconding again and never attended any court,” the Commissioner said.

Peter has been handed over to Mangaluru East Police for further legal action.