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.
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.
“The foreigner told our staff that she was standing near the staircase of her rented house when the duo came and asked her to pay ₹2,000 as Covid challan for not wearing a mask. When she refused, the two forcibly took ₹2,000 from her and fled after pushing her. A case was registered and the two suspects were arrested,” said Choudhary.
