Kashmiri man posing as NIA officer arrested near Red Fort

The presence of two individuals from Pulwama near the Red Fort — just three months after a car blast outside the historic monument claimed 15 lives — alerted the police team

A 36-year-old man from Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama was arrested for allegedly possessing a forged National Investigation Agency (NIA) identification card and impersonating an official of the agency to cheat people on the promise of providing jobs in Delhi, the Delhi Police said on Wednesday.

The man, identified as Mudassar Ahmed Mir, was caught along with a minor boy from Pulwama while seated in a black Hyundai Santro car bearing a Jammu and Kashmir registration number. (Representational image)

The man, identified as Mudassar Ahmed Mir, was caught along with a minor boy from Pulwama while seated in a black Hyundai Santro car bearing a Jammu and Kashmir registration number. The vehicle was found parked at an isolated spot behind the Red Fort in north Delhi during night patrolling in the early hours, police officers aware of the matter said.

The presence of two individuals from Pulwama near the Red Fort — just three months after a car blast outside the historic monument claimed 15 lives — alerted the police team. Officers questioned the duo about their identities and the purpose of their presence near the Mughal-era monument. Mir identified himself as an NIA officer and showed an identity card, the officers said.

“Mir presented an ID card purportedly of a field officer of the NIA, which on the face of it did not look genuine. The two individuals were quickly taken into custody and brought to the police station for joint questioning by officers of the Delhi Police Special Cell, NIA and Intelligence Bureau (IB),” an officer said.

During the enquiry, the ID card was found to be fake. Mir disclosed that he was an acquaintance of the teenager’s family. The boy’s father, a mason, suffered a paralytic attack around four months ago while at work. With no other earning member in the family, the boy was looking for a job. Mir allegedly promised to get him a job in Delhi and took ₹3,000 as token money, while ₹10,000 was to be paid after confirmation of employment, another officer said.

Mir and the boy left Pulwama in the Santro car on February 12 and reached Delhi the following night. They checked into Bashir Guest House in the Jama Masjid area. Mir’s cousin, Shaakir, who was also in Delhi looking for a job, later joined them.

On February 14, Mir met a person who runs an NGO and sought jobs for his cousin and the teenager. The person was staying at J&K House, and his booking had been arranged by a right-wing leader from Naushera. Mir was introduced to the person by two individuals, one of whom claimed to be associated with the NIA, the second officer said.

“However, the person running the NGO expressed his inability to arrange any jobs for the duo. Shaakir left for Kashmir. The teenager was also planning to leave Delhi but was caught before that. He is a victim of a job racket. We registered a case under sections 319 and 339 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and arrested Mir, a cheat who hoodwinks common people using a fraudulent identity with the promise of jobs,” said deputy commissioner of police (north) Raja Banthia.