Man held for allegedly posing as cop during towing operation

The arrest followed an altercation in which the accused, Fahad Farid Khan, allegedly confronted and misbehaved with traffic personnel who had arrived to tow the suspicious vehicle parked outside the White House building on Dr V Raghunath Marg

Mumbai: A 37-year-old car mechanic was arrested for allegedly impersonating a police officer after police found a blue police cap on the dashboard of a numberless car during a towing operation on Saturday, police said.

Man held for allegedly posing as cop during towing operation

The arrest followed an altercation in which the accused, Fahad Farid Khan, allegedly confronted and misbehaved with traffic personnel who had arrived to tow the suspicious vehicle parked outside the White House building on Dr V Raghunath Marg.

According to the police, constables Nikhilesh Hanumant Sable and Sangve were patrolling Dr V Raghunath Marg when they spotted a suspicious white car parked outside the White House building. The car had no number plate, its windows were covered and a blue police cap was clearly visible on the dashboard, police said.

As the car was locked from inside, Sable alerted the Bandra Traffic Department. Traffic constable Anil Koli arrived with a towing van at around 7.40pm and began towing the vehicle. That was when Khan allegedly arrived and confronted the traffic personnel and towing staff.

When asked about the police cap and the absence of a number plate, Khan allegedly gave vague replies and could not produce documents for the vehicle. Police then established that Khan was not a police officer.

Police suspect Khan had placed the blue cap on the dashboard to pass himself off as a cop and intimidate members of the public and traffic personnel.

The Bandra police arrested Khan and registered a case against him. The car and the police cap were seized as part of the investigation. “We are now finding out whether Khan owned the car or was robbed,” a Bandra police officer said.