The Moga Police have busted an extortion racket with the arrest of two fraudsters who were swindling local drug addicts and petty drug peddlers by masquerading as police personnel.The arrested individuals have been identified as Ram Gopal, a resident of Buttar village, and Amandeep Singh from Beant Nagar in Moga. During the raid, police recovered several sets of official police uniforms, fake identification tokens and related gear used to execute the impersonations.According to senior officials, the duo was actively operating a sophisticated extortion ring. Following their initial interrogation, authorities believe a much wider network of lookouts and accomplices is involved, with more arrests expected shortly.The investigation has shed light on a highly strategic modus operandi designed by the fraudsters to ensure their crimes went entirely unreported. Unlike typical scammers who target the general public, Ram Gopal and Amandeep Singh specifically chose highly culpable victims — primarily severe drug addicts and petty, mohalla-level (neighborhood) drug suppliers who traffic habit-forming capsules and pills in villages.The fraudsters operated through a calculated process, first making surveillance and target selection. Then the duo relied on a localised network of informants to identify small-time peddlers selling habit-forming pills or youth frequently visiting known drug hotspots. By targeting low-level dealers and addicts rather than major smugglers, they ensured their targets lacked the criminal backing to fight back.Dressed in authentic-looking police uniforms, the suspects would intercept the victims in isolated village lanes or during a transaction. They would stage a dramatic “arrest,” frisk the victims, and “seize” the contraband, threatening them with immediate booking under the stringent NDPS Act.Once the victim was thoroughly terrified of facing years in prison, the “officers” would offer a way out. They demanded hefty bribe amounts — often in thousands — to “drop the charges” and destroy the evidence on the spot.The fraudsters deliberately chose victims who were technically committing crimes themselves.As the victims were drug users or illegal pill suppliers, they were terrified of approaching the actual police.