Ludhiana, Feb. 22 -- A New Shimlapuri-based family has been booked for allegedly defrauding a city car dealer of nearly Rs.89 lakh by falsely promising to secure a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) post for his son under the sports quota and offering lucrative returns on a business investment. The accused allegedly projected themselves as influential intermediaries with deep political and police connections, bolstering their claims with photographs alongside senior officials and by handing over what they described as an "official" government-issued phone.

Following a two-month inquiry conducted on the directions of the commissioner of police, the Shimlapuri police registered an FIR against Harjinder Singh, his wife Kulwinder Kaur, an...