Rawalpindi: Emerging reports suggest that individuals impersonating members of the Punjab Chief Minister’s social media team are allegedly extorting money from local traders in Rawalpindi.
The purported impostors targeted businesses along Murree Road in the Faizabad area, recording videos of shops, hotels, and restaurants. The group members claimed that they conducted encroachment surveys in accordance with the Chief Minister’s directives. The responsible team issued a warning to traders that the submission of encroachment images to the Chief Minister would result in immediate action against the encroachments after tomorrow.
According to the alleged distributed network group, each establishment was required to pay ten thousand rupees for the prevention of video dissemination. The warning that the Deputy Commissioner of Rawalpindi would receive orders for encroachment operations in the imminent day was a result of the failure to pay.
Local entrepreneurs expressed their dissatisfaction due to the fact that they are already subject to departmental charges and inflated utility expenditures. One trader lamented, “We are already strained by fines and high gas and electricity bills. We cannot afford to pay additional extortion money, especially when new teams appear frequently.”
The traders also pointed out that ongoing cricket matches have already disrupted their businesses, making it challenging to cover daily expenses.
Authorities have yet to issue an official statement regarding these allegations. The business community urges the government to investigate the matter promptly and take necessary actions to protect them from such fraudulent activities.