Two held in Delhi for impersonating policemen, robbing foreign national

The men robbed the woman of ₹2,000 on the pretext of Covid-19 guideline violations in south Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin area on December 29

Two men were arrested for allegedly impersonating policemen and robbing a 73-year-old Australian woman of ₹2,000 on the pretext of Covid-19 guideline violations in south Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin area on December 29, police said on Friday.

A patrolling police team rushed towards screaming woman and saw two men, dressed as policemen, fleeing the scene. They chased and caught the duo and began questioning them. (Representational team)

The stolen ₹2,000 was recovered from the arrested men, identified as Vakil, 30, and Badrinath, 28, both from Madhya Pradesh, they said.

Additional deputy commissioner of police (southeast) Surendra Choudhary said that the two suspects were chased and arrested by a team of the Hazrat Nizamuddin police station that was patrolling the neighbourhood where the alleged impersonation and robbery took place.

The crime took place outside the rented flat of the elderly Australian national.

The foreigner whose name was withheld by the police is a retired Australian government official and is currently associated with a Delhi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO).

The additional DCP said that on December 29, the patrolling team was near the gurdwara when they heard a woman screaming “chor-chor (thieves)”. The four team members rushed towards her and saw two men, dressed as policemen, fleeing the scene. They chased and caught the duo and began questioning them. At the same time, an elderly woman, who identified herself as an Australian citizen, arrived and alleged that the two “policemen” had robbed her of ₹2,000.