At the most, they were mocked as 'moral police' for swooping on parks, forcing youths to do sit-ups or slapping dating couples in full public view.

But an India TV investigation has allegedly discovered a disturbing phenomenon in the very crop of Uttar Pradesh police on which the Yogi Adityanath administration has raised anti-Romeo squads purportedly for women's safety.

The channel claimed in its probe that it found members of the new contingents out not only to harass but implicate innocents in false cases, ready to resort to bribes.

The squads, made up of plainclothes and uniformed police officers, were introduced in March to crack down on 'Romeos' – a term loosely used for molesters – after the BJP government took power in the state.

In Meerut's Transport Nagar, sub-inspector Onkar Nath Pandey allegedly offered tips to the undercover team on how to have an innocent man rounded up for no crime.

Pandey, the local head of an anti-Romeo squad, also allegedly promised to plant weapons on him, a fictitious business rival concocted by India Today TV's investigative team.

'What I am saying is he should have a companion first (on the street); even if that's a man. Take him into confidence. Let there be a scuffle after drinks. Let that man provoke him (your rival). He'd lose his senses. Then call the police who will pick him up. He'll be prosecuted,' Pandey suggested.

The India TV investigation has allegedly found anti-Romeo squad officers agreeing to fake cases

'Will he be sent to jail?' asked the reporter, to which the cop allegedly claimed: 'Definitely, he'll go to jail. We'll frame him in a weapons' case and he'll be imprisoned.'

He demanded Rs 50,000 for the dirty job, it was claimed.

Meanwhile, sub-inspector Vineet Verma, the head of an anti-Romeo squad at a Bulandshahr police station, allegedly asked India Today TV's investigative team to send the target's photo to him on WhatsApp.

He needed no written complaint to act, the channel claimed.

In the conversation recorded on a secret camera, he allegedly said: 'Nothing in writing (is needed). We'll have him slapped, etc. We'll have it done.'

Babuddin, part of a special operations group at Ghaziabad's Loni police station, promised on-demand action, the investigation claimed

His counterpart at Agra's Nai Ki Mandi, Ved Prakash, proposed to entangle the fictitious character in an unresolved case of rioting, the probe alleged.

'Police were attacked near Haweli Garib Khan. A lot of stone-pelting also happened. A case is registered against 150 people in the rioting,' he recalled.

'We'll have warrants issued for him from a magistrate court,' Prakash allegedly said.

The alleged racket was found to be running deep in the national capital region as well. Babuddin, part of a special operations group at Ghaziabad's Loni police station, promised on-demand action, the investigation claimed.

'There will be a cost involved but there is work to be done by police. We will have to put in many hours in preparing a good case against him. Then, we will be able to pick him up from wherever we want,' he allegedly said.

Ved Prakash allegedly proposed to entangle the fictitious character in an unresolved case of rioting

The plot centred on an imaginary man in a consensual relationship with a woman.

'For six months in prison, you'll have to give Rs 3 lakh. He will be behind the bars in 36 hours,' Babuddin allegedly said.

Soon, his team allegedly all agreed to pick up the fictitious character from his dating spot, have his call details dug out and take him into custody over cooked-up charges.

After the report aired, UP police chief Sulkhan Singh asked the ADGs in Meerut and Agra to submit a preliminary probe on India Today TV's #OperationRomeo by Tuesday.

He also asked for the career records of all four cops exposed in the findings.

A detailed probe will be carried out by the Uttar Pradesh DG headquarters.

'Laws per se and their implementation must not be blamed,' said Amitabh Thakur, inspector general, UP police.

'For women from the upper echelons of society, a Romeo wandering the streets is not a problem. But for women in smaller areas, these are real issues. Your exposé raises those real issues.'

State power minister Shrikant Sharma termed the findings shocking. 'It is very unfortunate that such things are happening in our administration,' he said.

'We will take action against such people. Your sting operation will make our administration more proactive. But the good work of theanti-Romeo squads cannot be ignored.'