Lucknow, Sept 3 (IANS): One of them claimed to be a 'journalist' and the other a 'sub inspector' in order to blackmail people. But their assumed identities could not prevent them from what awaited them.

The murder of a property dealer Durgesh Yadav near the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute (SGPGI) on Wednesday afternoon and the subsequent arrest of the accused Manish Yadav, reveal a tale of fraud and forgery, police said.

The victim, Durgesh Yadav, a history-sheeter from Gorakhpur, was found to be possessing a press card from 'Dabra Samachar'.

The accused, Manish Yadav, was found to be in possession of a forged identity card in which he proclaimed himself as 'sub-inspector'.

"Both used these cards to intimidate and blackmail people and also run their real estate business. A number of fake rubber stamps, letter heads have also been recovered from Durgesh Yadav's house," said a senior police officer.

The officer said that there was a sizeable number of criminals in the state who were using fake ID cards to pose as journalists which allowed them access to the corridors of power.

"Last week, we arrested a person on rape charges and he was found to be a journalist with accreditation from the state government. He even has a government accommodation allotted to him," the officer said.

The police official said there were a dozen-odd fake journalist involved in unlawful activities in almost every district of the state.

"Even the officials are wary of taking action against mediapersons for obvious reasons. We have informally asked senior government officials to help us check the menace but obviously nobody is interested. Such elements could also pose a security threat to the chief minister since they find access to his office and even the Vidhan Sabha," said the police officer.

Meanwhile, shocking videos of property dealer Durgesh Yadav being stripped and beaten inside his house by his 'business partners' on Wednesday, minutes before he was shot dead, have gone viral on the social media.