Nuh, Jun 15 (PTI) Two persons, including a man allegedly involved in the communal violence in Haryana's Nuh last year, have been held on the charge of duping village heads by posing as a police officer, police said on Saturday.

According to them, one of the accused, Khalid, allegedly used the photo of a deputy superintendent of police on his WhatsApp account display picture to call up people through the online messaging app and demand money.

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Complainant Dilbagh, the former 'sarpanch' of Rithat village in Nuh district, stated that a few days ago he got a call from a person who introduced himself as DSP Shamsher Singh, a police officer said.

The complainant knew DSP Shamsher Singh very well since he was posted in Punhana earlier and he told the caller that he did not have this number, the officer said.

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Dilbagh told police, "When I investigated the number from which I received the call, a photo of DSP Shamsher Singh in police dress was used as WhatsApp DP (display picture)."

According to the complainant, the accused again called him a day later and demanded Rs 95,000, citing a family problem. The caller shared the details of a bank account to which the money was transferred, Dilbagh said in his police complaint.

The next day, the former sarpanch again received a call demanding money and then it dawned upon him that he has been cheated, a police officer said.

An FIR was registered at cybercrime police station in Nuh following which Khalid and his accomplice were arrested on Friday, police said.

"The main accused Khalid used to cheat 'sarpanches' and former 'Sarpanches' by posing as a DSP. During police interrogation, Khalid confessed to the crime and revealed that he was also involved in the Nuh violence on July 31 last year," a police officer said.

Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the communal clashes that erupted in Nuh after a procession of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad was attacked by a mob on July 31 last year.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)