Cops play criminals to uphold law, criminals play cops to break law

When the police hit upon the brilliant idea of going undercover to maintain the law, they did not factor in the inventiveness of the criminal mind. The criminals hit upon a brighter idea—dress up as cops and break the law.

When the police hit upon the brilliant idea of going undercover to maintain the law, they did not factor in the inventiveness of the criminal mind. The criminals hit upon a brighter idea—dress up as cops and break the law.

HT Image

This came to light with the arrest of Kamal Goel (40) and Vinay Mishra (25) who had kidnapped 11-year-old Nitin and demanded a ransom of Rs 1.5 crore. The duo had attempted to kidnap a Mangolpuri businessman last October when Goel, dressed as a Delhi Traffic Police officer, stopped the latter’s vehicle and tried to break in.

Immediately after Goel and Mishra’s arrest, Y.S. Dadwal, Commissioner of Police, Delhi , expressed his intention to set in place stricter norms for retailers and manufacturers of Delhi Police uniforms.

Dadwal’s statement notwithstanding, one can get a spanking new Delhi Police Inspector’s uniform for as cheap as Rs 700!
“These are just a few stray cases. We have been taking adequate measures to verify our customers,” says Varinder Dua, of Kishan Vastra Bhandar, Kingsway Camp.

Deepak Malani of Sona Garments, Moti Bagh agrees. “The retailers are to blame for this. We supply the dress material to tailors we have been doing business with for years and deal in bulk. We don’t deal in one or two pieces,” he said.
There are specific guidelines for the sale of these uniforms. There are many who follow these guidelines. Others don’t.

Small retailers sell Delhi Police uniforms for anything between Rs 450 – Rs 700.

“You can get a police uniform set for around Rs 450,” a retailer in north Delhi’s Kingsway Camp told HT. “The beret cap will cost you an extra Rs 35,” he added.

As per the guidelines, one needs a proof of identification and an authorization letter. But that can all be overlooked for a nominal fee.

“Though I don’t need an authorization letter, I can’t discuss this over the phone,” said a retailer based in south Delhi.

“Visit my shop at Kalkaji tomorrow and I can get you a full Delhi Police inspector’s uniform for around Rs 700,” he said.