New Delhi: For years, Arghya Adhikari ran what appeared from the outside like a government agency in his home district, Birbhum. He allegedly sent official-looking summons to those involved in local disputes, cited court judgements and even asked many to appear at his office for hearings. The agency’s name seemed convincing enough—the National Bureau of Social Investigation & Social Justice (NBSISJ).
Its summons mimicked real summons issued by police or courts to people involved in either a property dispute or an inheritance battle.
On Sunday, Central Noida Police arrested Adhikari, who styled himself as the ‘national secretary general’ of the NBSISJ, and his father, former Trinamool Congress leader Bibhas Chandra Adhikari, as well as four other accomplices, on charges of running a fake police outfit under the name of the International Police & Crime Investigation Bureau (IPCIB) in Noida’s Sector 70.
“The accused were running an organised crime racket in the name of INTERNATIONAL POLICE & CRIME INVESTIGATION BUREAU, under which they used to show forged documents to mislead people, such as certificates recognised by various ministries, such as the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the Ministry of Ayush and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment,” Central Noida Deputy Commissioner of Police Shakti Mohan Avasthy told the media.
The bust came just weeks after the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested a man in Ghaziabad on charges of running a fake embassy representing fictitious “micronations” named ‘Seborgia, Poulbia, Lodonia and Westarctica’.
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Fake recognition, expansion led to undoing
Things were running smoothly for Arghya and his father, who not only ran several colleges and a non-profit trust but also had connections across party lines to bolster their business and influence in the district. Matters began to unravel when they decided to expand their business and go “international”—falsely presenting themselves as a police organisation.
Having seen their business grow in Birbhum under the name the National Bureau of Social Investigation & Social Justice, the father-son duo decided to set up a similar office in Noida, but styled it as an international police organisation.
They floated the ‘International Police & Crime Investigation Bureau’ and, about a week ago, set up an office in a rented space with shiny new boards in Noida’s Sector 70 to woo prospective clients.
They also allegedly claimed international recognition and affiliation with bodies such as Interpol and the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), and even said they maintained an overseas office in the United Kingdom to handle clients’ overseas issues.
“They orchestrated this conspiracy to influence the general public. These people used to claim that their organisation was of an international category and had affiliations with Interpol, the International Human Rights Commission and Eurasia Pol. They also used to tell about having an office in the UK to claim legitimacy further,” Avasthy said.
Adhikari and his accomplices showcased several certificates, which they said were issued by fictitious organisations listed on their websites, to bolster their claims of legitimacy.
Uttar Pradesh Police found that the Adhikaris portrayed themselves as lok sewaks (public servants) and convinced people to make donations through websites for their work, such as issuing summons that mimicked legal summons issued by the police or local courts.
Their scheme collapsed when the Noida Police received numerous complaints about their attempt to lure people to their office, claiming to be an international police organisation.
Police officials said they launched a formal crackdown after verifying the complaints and confirming the presence of an office claiming to run an international police organisation, but with no real police authority and only a website.
The Central Noida Police raided the office Sunday and arrested the Adhikari father-son duo, along with four more men from West Bengal, on the charge of running a fake police station disguised as an international police organisation.
Connections across party lines
Long before their arrest, the Adhikaris had built strong political networks across the spectrum in Birbhum.
On 2 May, Bibhas wrote to the workers and leaders of his newly formed party, the All India Arya Mahasabha, asking them to assemble to celebrate the second party convention. They were asked to assemble at the Birbhum-based Thakur Anukul Chandra Satsang Mission, a non-profit organisation he ran in their native Nalhati block.
Years before this, Bibhas Adhikari was a local-level Trinamool Congress leader. He had flaunted several photos with leaders, including former Birbhum district president and strongman Anubrata Mondal, as well as MPs and MLAs from the ruling party.
His Facebook profile also has a picture with senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya, which he claimed was taken during a meeting in Bhopal last year.
Bibhas was block president of the TMC in Nalhati and was considered a close aide of Mondal, who the ED arrested in November 2022, and CBI in August 2022 as part of separate probes into alleged illegal cattle smuggling.
His proximity to the TMC leaders reportedly made him a suspect in a case linked to irregularities in the appointment of teachers in West Bengal. Adhikari’s premises were raided by both the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation in March and April, respectively.
However, neither agency has ever named him as an accused, ThePrint has learnt.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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