E-Paper
Man arrested for duping senior citizens by posing as police officer
According to the crime branch unit, which cracked the case, the accused targeted elderly people by approaching them in public places, posing as a police officer
The Pimpri Chinchwad police on Saturday arrested a man for allegedly duping several senior citizens across the city by impersonating as a police officer.
According to the crime branch unit, which cracked the case, the accused targeted elderly people by approaching them in public places, posing as a police officer. He would warn them about rising incidents of theft and ask them to hand over their gold ornaments for “verification” or “safekeeping”, Taking advantage of their trust and confusion, he would then flee with the valuables.
Senior inspector, Crime Branch Unit-2, Arvind Pawar, said that CCTV footage of various locations and field intelligence led them to the accused’s location in the Irani Vasti area of Ambivli in Thane district.
“Our team camped in the area for two days, conducting surveillance in plain clothes. Based on a tip-off by an informer, we nabbed the accused - Mohammed Syed Kambar Ali, 40, - from near his rented residence close to Star Bakery in Irani Vasti,” Pawar said. “His relatives tried to obstruct the operation, but our team acted swiftly and took him into custody. He was then brought to our office for interrogation.”
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused is a habitual offender, with multiple cases of cheating registered against him in police stations across states, including Dehuroad police station.in Pune.
A case was registered at Hinjewadi police station under sections 204, 319(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and police have launched an investigation to verify the accused involvement in similar cases of fraud elsewhere.
Police have appealed to citizens, especially senior citizens, to remain cautious and verify the identity of any person claiming to be a police officer.
