A lawyer posing as a judicial officer was arrested from Kishanganj, Bihar, by the Siliguri Metropolitan Police on Wednesday for allegedly duping a Siliguri trader of nearly Rs 1 crore.

Sources said on June 28, the businessman, whose name is being withheld by the police, filed a complaint alleging that a year ago, a man came to his shop calling himself the additional sessions judge-cum-special auction officer based in Kishanganj, and befriended him.

“He said he had possession of 84 cars and 5,000 tonnes of wheat, and wanted buyers,” said a police officer. He told the trader to participate in an “auction” to buy the items. The trader and two of his friends paid him Rs 91 lakh. The man gave them official papers and government seals, treasury challans and the cash receipt.

Then, the man disappeared with the money and the documents were found to be forged. There was no auction. The trader and his friends eventually found out that this so-called judicial officer was a lawyer named Samir Dubey of Kishanganj and went to the police. The detective department of Siliguri Metropolitan Police sent a team, disguised as buyers, to the Bihar town on Wednesday to trace Dubey.