Trader posing as IPS officer held

LUCKNOW: Posing as a senior police officer landed a city trader into police net in Vibhuti Khand area here on Friday.

Police also recovered a forged identity card of ASP (crime branch) from his possession.

With the help of the fake identity card, the imposter Mohd Arif, 35, used to pose as a senior cop to get relaxation in hotel bills and toll tax while travelling across the state, police said adding that Arif, a Hasanganj resident, owned a mango orchard in Malihabad. He also owned a restaurant in Hasanganj which was closed about three months ago.

“Arif often used to visit senior police officials and admire them. He gradually developed the habit of being treated as a police official and to fulfil it he started faking as an IPS officer. He even arranged a fake identity card of assistant superintendent of police (ASP), crime branch, Lucknow and started using it at different places,” said Satyendra Kumar Rai, station officer, Vibhuti Khand police station. During interrogation, Arif confessed that he had often used the forged ID card to get concessions in hotel bills and toll tax. He had also received concessions during stay at five star hotels in Mumbai and other places with the help of the fake ID card, said Rai.

The imposter landed in police net when he tried to do the same in a city hotel. The staff of the hotel, who were aware of t he real crime branch ASP, informed local cops about the imposter.

Arif confessed that the fake identity card was made by Ubeid, a resident of Babuganj in Hasanganj.

Police said efforts were on t o ar rest Ubeid.