History-sheeter fakes seizure to avoid arrest

The acting skills of this history-sheeter could not save him from being arrested. When the police turned up at his door, the 37-year-old feigned seizure and ‘collapsed’ only to be taken to a hospital where a doctor confirmed that nothing was wrong with him

Mumbai: The acting skills of this history-sheeter could not save him from being arrested. When the police turned up at his door, the 37-year-old feigned seizure and ‘collapsed’ only to be taken to a hospital where a doctor confirmed that nothing was wrong with him.

History-sheeter fakes seizure to avoid arrest

According to the Khar police, the accused, identified as Ali Zahoor Jaffri, has a history of impersonating police or civic officials and cheating gullible victims of their jewellery.

The police got on his trail after he approached a senior citizen on a morning walk and identified himself as an official with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in December last year. The accused swiped the victim’s gold chain while pretending to wrap it in a handkerchief for ‘safety’. When the victim reached home, he realised that his chain was missing and he approached the police.

“We traced Jaffri to Mumbra and found his residence on January 8 with the help of local informants. When we reached his house and identified ourselves, Jaffri locked a grill installed along the front door. We had to break it open. As soon as we entered his house, Jaffri pretended like he was having a fit and fell on the ground. We took him to a doctor, who examined him and certified him as fully fit,” a police officer said.

Jaffri was subsequently taken to the police station where he was formally placed under arrest, and charged with cheating and impersonation under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Further inquiries established that he has at least 19 cases registered against him in Mumbai and Thane.

An officer, who is part of the investigating team, added that the first crucial clue that led to Jaffri’s arrest came from footage of nearly 40 CCTV cameras in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.

“We spotted the accused in the footage of the spot where the crime occurred and traced him from there to Airoli. Along the way, he changed autorickshaws four times to get from Khar to Airoli, before taking a fifth auto to Mumbra,” the officer added.

“The bulk of the cases against him are in Mumbra, while a few are in Mumbai,” Mohan Mane, senior police inspector, said. Jaffri is currently in judicial custody and other police stations will soon file applications in court seeking his custody, Mane added.