Fake cop held for confiscating mobiles, wallets from people

A 26-year-old man was arrested for allegedly impersonating himself as a police officer and taking away the mobile phones and wallet from another man in Southeast Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar area, the police said on Saturday.

The accused, Mahender Pal alias Sandeep, works as a private guard at an outlet near the Udyog Vihar Metro Station and was found to be previously involved in a case of cheating, it said.

According to the police, the incident took place on June 9 when Rajender Kumar Tiwari, along with his friends, was going to his residence from the market. At about 10.40 am, near Moolchand flyover, one person on motorcycle wearing khaki pants, khaki shocks, and black shoes overtook and stopped them. He took their mobile phones and wallet to check their identity and fled from the spot.

A case under Sections 419 (punishment for cheating by personation) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code was registered, said DCP (Southeast) R.P. Meena.

He said that teams were constituted and CCTV footages were installed in the nearby vicinity of the incident.

“With the help of ownership details of the offending motorcycle, the suspect was identified as Mahender Pal, a resident of Mundka in Outer Delhi. The team raided the location and nabbed him. Three mobile phones, one wallet, the offending motorcycle, and clothes worn at the time of the incident were recovered from his possession,” the DCP said.

During sustained interrogation, the accused disclosed that he is addicted to alcohol and drugs. To fulfil his drug requirements, he started to cheat passers-by with the identity of a police officer, he said.