Prayagraj: A Pratapgarh-based man posing as a lawyer has been booked for allegedly naming his rivals as accused in multiple FIRs and extorting money from them to have their names removed from the cases.The racket came to light during the investigation of an FIR registered at Fatanpur police station. Police found that one of the accused named in the case had no connection with either the complainant or the dispute. Further probe led investigators to self-styled lawyer MK Tripathi.A senior police officer said Tripathi had allegedly implicated one of his rivals and the latter’s father in at least two to three criminal cases by getting their names included in complaints filed at different police stations.Based on a complaint, police have now registered an FIR against Tripathi at Fatanpur police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).According to police, GP Tiwari of Kailidih village alleged that Tripathi, a resident of the same village, regularly drafts complaints and applications for people visiting Fatanpur and other police stations.Tiwari claimed that Tripathi held a grudge against him over an ongoing road dispute and, with the intention of extracting money, repeatedly got his and his father’s names included in criminal complaints, resulting in police cases and causing them harassment.He alleged that he paid Tripathi Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 on two separate occasions to get his name removed from cases in which he had been falsely implicated. Later, Tripathi allegedly demanded another Rs 50,000 to drop his name from a third case.Tiwari further told police that Tripathi threatened to have more cases registered against him and his father if his monetary demands were not met.In his complaint, Tiwari also alleged that Tripathi falsely projected himself as a lawyer despite lacking any registration or licence to practise law. He accused him of extorting money from unsuspecting people by fabricating and filing false complaints.
