Iranian national poses as intel officer, steals money from Sudanese man; held

Police have not shared details about how many such crimes the trio had been involved in, or the nationalities and whereabouts of the two other suspects.

New Delhi: The Delhi Police have arrested a 46-year-old Iranian national for allegedly impersonating an intelligence agency agent, and stealing Indian and foreign currency notes from a Sudanese national on the pretext of searching his bags for narcotic drugs in south Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar on June 14, officials said on Sunday.

Police scanned CCTV footage from areas near the crime spot, and with the help of the car’s number, traced the vehicle. (Representative photo)

The accused -- identified as Hossein Rezafard Ahmad -- and two of his accomplices, who also impersonated as intelligence agency officers, searched the bag of the Sudanese national -- Mohammad Bakry -- who was in Delhi with his wife for medical treatment, said police.

“Police recovered 200 US dollars, 4,000 Sudanese pounds, 28,000 Iranian Riyal, 200 Saudi Riyal, ₹5,000 cash, and a car from the possession of the arrested man... The trio targets foreigners who visit Delhi on medical visas. They track their movements -- usually hospitals they visit in Delhi, follow them, and commit such crimes,” said deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Esha Pandey, adding that Ahmad, too, came to India on a medical visa on May 21 this year.

To be sure, police have not shared details about how many such crimes the trio had been involved in, or the nationalities and whereabouts of the two other suspects.

According to police, Bakry filed a complaint against the trio at the Lajpat Nagar police station on June 14, alleging that while he and his wife were returning from a hospital in Greater Kailash around 4.40pm that day, three men travelling in a car stopped them. The trio introduced themselves as officers of an intelligence agency and searched his bag for narcotics drugs. “Following the search, the trio left. Later, when Bakry opened his bag, he found some cash missing. Based on Bakry’s complaint, a case of theft was registered at the Lajpat Nagar police station, and a probe was launched into the matter,” said Pandey.

d, traced that the vehicle was registered in the name of a Mahipalpur-based tour and travel company. Police approached the firm’s owner, who said that he had sold the car to one Nawab in March. The police traced Nawab’s address to Gurugram, but he had left the place by the time police reached there. Following this, police put Nawab’s cellphone number on electronic surveillance.

“We found out that Nawab was constantly in touch with Ahmad, following which we zeroed down on Ahmad and arrested him, along with the stolen currency notes and the car, from Delhi on Friday,” said an investigator, requesting anonymity.