Man held for impersonating police officer, extortion

A 26-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly impersonating a police officer and extorting money from roadside vendors in the city

A 26-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly impersonating a police officer and extorting money from roadside vendors in the city.

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According to police, on Sunday, a video was shared on social media, showing a man in police uniform extorting money from a roadside food vendor, consuming the items and refusing to pay the vendor. Following this, a probe was launched and the video was found to have originated from Sector 39 police jurisdiction.

The suspect was identified as Saurav, a Jalaun native currently living at Chhalera village in Noida’s Sector 44.

“He would dress up in police uniform, claim to be from the crime branch and then extort benefits from local vendors or try to intimidate them claiming to be a police officer,” said Kumar Ranvijay Singh, additional deputy commissioner of police, zone 1.

Saurav had been extorting money in this manner for the past few months, police said, adding that he was nabbed from Chhalera. A khaki uniform set, two fake badges of UP Police and a motorcycle were recovered from him.

Police said that he had recently purchased the motorcycle for ₹2,900 and changed its number plate to avoid getting caught.

The suspect was booked for cheating and impersonation under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector 39 police station.