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 announced recently.

The gang set up shop barely 500 meters from the home of the actual local police chief, a real police officer said. They would then charge money from locals coming into the fake station, while pocketing cash from others by promising to help them secure social housing or jobs in the police. They also paid people from the largely rural area daily wages of about 500 rupees ($6) to pretend to be other police officers working at the station. But the scam fell apart when a genuine police officer spotted two members of the gang carrying guns made in local workshops.