Varanasi: The arrest of a constable by the Lucknow unit of UP-STF for running an organised extortion racket targeting truckers has once again exposed how eastern UP districts bordering Bihar remain a hub for such illegal activities. The accused allegedly posed as an RTO official to extort money in exchange for allowing overloaded trucks to pass through.Despite major crackdowns in 2017 and 2024 on the nexus allegedly run by ARTO RS Yadav and police personnel in Ballia, a fresh gang surfaced. It was led by Vipin Kumar Yadav alias Patu Chaudhary, a transport department constable and resident of Kunti Vihar Colony under Jaitpura police station in Varanasi. Along with Vipin, the STF arrested Akash Chaudhary, Pradeep Gupta alias Vicky, and Raja Kumar from Ballia. The team recovered ₹42,500 in cash, fake identity cards, mobile chat screenshots, multiple phones, documents linked to illegal extortion, and two luxury SUVs. The four arrested accused were produced before the court of the special judge (Prevention of Corruption Act) and remanded in judicial custody.Meanwhile, ACP (Pindra) Prateek Kumar, who is probing the fresh RTO scam, said the STF lodged an FIR at Phulpur police station on May 30 against 13 accused based on its operation. Those named include Vipin, Akash, Raja, Pradeep, Pinku Singh alias Sushil Singh, Muneem alias Santosh, Bulbul, CB Singh, Ashok Dubey, Ranjit, Bablu Singh, Deepak, Guddu Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary, Lalit Singh, Hriday Chaudhary, Bhola Nath Chaudhary and Dinesh Yadav. They have been booked under sections related to disappearance of evidence, extortion, cheating, impersonation, forgery, criminal conspiracy and misconduct by public servants under the BNS, along with relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.“We are taking the arrested accused on police remand for interrogation,” said the ACP. Officials expected that progress in the investigation will expose the role of other accused as well as patrons of Vipin. The police will also try to detect whether Vipin gang has links with old players of department, who landed in jail in 2017.Before the ACP formally took over the probe, the STF’s Lucknow unit carried out an operation across Ballia, Lucknow and Varanasi, uncovering fresh attempts to revive the extortion racket targeting truckers along the eastern UP–Bihar border. Acting on rising complaints about a fake RTO gang extorting money from truckers and allowing overloaded commercial vehicles to pass for an “entry fee” of ₹3,000 per trip, the STF swung into action.Members of the gang led by Vipin were initially intercepted by the STF in a luxury SUV near Ekana Stadium in Lucknow last week of May, while assuring safe passage to drivers of overloaded trucks. During initial interrogation, Vipin revealed that he has been serving as a constable in the transport department since 2005 and is currently posted in Ghazipur. The gang’s network spanned across Varanasi, Ghazipur, Ballia, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur and other districts linked to Bihar. After collecting the ‘entry fee’, the gang would provide truckers with advance information about RTO checking points to ensure smooth passage. Vipin also disclosed the involvement of several department officials who allegedly received a share of the extortion proceeds along with other gang members.Truck owners and drivers had breathed a sigh of relief in 2017 after police cracked down on the nexus involving ARTO RS Yadav, leading to his arrest and imprisonment. The racket, which operated across Varanasi, Chandauli and other eastern UP districts, was accused of running a multi-crore extortion network to facilitate overloading. Yadav was arrested in Jaunpur in June 2017 and sent to jail, with the police, Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Income Tax department all probing the case. However, he secured bail after about two-and-a-half years and was released in December 2019.In July 2024, ADG Varanasi zone Piyush Mordia had led an operation to crack down the nexus of policemen involved in extorting money from truckers entering UP through Bharauli border in Ballia district from Bihar. Several officers and employees were suspended for their involvement in the extortion racket.
