Fake woman IPS officer was also held in Noida for similar offence, say cops

Gurugram: Four days after a 36-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly impersonating as an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer near the Sahara mall on MG Road, investigations have revealed that she was also arrested in 2019 in Greater Noida in a similar case

Gurugram: Four days after a 36-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly impersonating as an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer near the Sahara mall on MG Road, investigations have revealed that she was also arrested in 2019 in Greater Noida in a similar case.

Fake woman IPS officer was also held in Noida for similar offence, say cops

Police said the suspect has been identified as Zoya Khan, a resident of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. She travelled to Delhi-NCR from her hometown and allegedly took favours from hotels, restaurants and businessmen.

Police said on April 4, 2019, she was arrested in Greater Noida’s Bisrakh for allegedly impersonating as an Indian Foreign Service (IFS).

Virender Vij, deputy commissioner of police (east), said the suspect was wearing an Army jacket, which had an IPS insignia and a cap with an IPS badge and was moving around in an SUV with a beacon on top on February 2.

“Khan had made an attempt to get a pilot vehicle by making a call to the police station which had raised suspicion. A team from Sector 29 police station reached the spot and tried to verify her credentials. However, she could not furnish documents to establish that she was an IPS officer. She was sitting in a chauffeur-driven SUV having a Delhi registration number. She kept changing her name repeatedly and her behaviour was suspicious. Women police officers were called to the spot to question her after which she was arrested,” DCP Vij said.

According to police, the incident took place around 10pm. Police said information was received from the security branch that a pilot vehicle has been requested for an SUV to be taken to a resort in Manesar.

DCP Vij said during interrogation, Khan revealed that she used a voice changing app on her mobile to call the station house officer (SHO) of Manesar police station on Thursday and that is why police added a section of the Information Technology (IT) Act in the FIR. “Khan changed her statement several times. Initially, she identified herself as Farah,” he said.

Police said they have recovered a uniform, one laptop, three mobiles, two diaries and a fake ID card in the name of Ira Singhal, Alipur divisional magistrate, from her home.

“Three cases are already registered against the suspect and she has been jailed before. She was out on bail from the Allahabad high court”, DCP Vij added.

According to police, Khan had earlier posed as a “joint secretary with the foreign ministry” posted at the “United Nations Organisation’s Security Council” in 2019. She used to live in Gaur City 2 society in Bisrakh, along with her husband Harsh Pratap Singh of Meerut, who was also arrested for allegedly conspiring with his wife.

Noida police in 2019 had recovered fake ID cards of UN Security Council, where her designation was ‘nuclear policy officer’ stationed at ‘Washington DC’.

Police said that Khan revealed that she had appeared in Provincial Civil Service (PCS) exam in 2007 but was not able to clear it after which she made plans to become a fake officer.