Police officials in Indian state of Bihar announced that they have busted a fake police station operated from a local hotel by the criminal gang, that extorted money from hundreds of people.

According to the law enforcement authorities, the criminals set up a fake police precinct inside a hotel in the city of Banka in Bihar state, just 1,500 feet away from the city’s real police station.

Police say the fraudsters managed to extort money from hundreds of people during the nearly eight-month-long scam.

According to local police chief, the gang ran their scam by charging local residents who came into the fake precinct to file complaints with police.

The fraudsters also took money from people who they promised to help secure social housing or get a job in the police force. The gang reportedly demanded payments of up to 70,000 rupees (around $900), for “processing fees.”

The criminals also reportedly paid a number of locals about 500 rupees (about $6) a day to act as if they were employees at the station.

The gang apparently managed to fool everyone by wearing authentic-looking uniforms and carrying real firearms, but the scam fell apart after local police noticed that one of the impersonators was carrying a gun that was not a standard-issue service weapon.

Following a police raid on the fake precinct, at least five gang members, including two women, were arrested.

There have been many cases of people impersonating police officers in India before, but this is the first known case of someone having managed to set up and run a complete fake police station.