Latur, March 25 A man has been arrested for allegedly impersonating a police officer to cheat people in Latur district, Maharashtra, by claiming to help recover stolen property, officials said.
The accused reportedly tracked theft cases in newspapers, used fake documents and a purported UPSC interview video to impersonate a police officer, promised to recover stolen valuables, and extorted large sums of money from victims, they said.
The Local Crime Branch has seized Rs 4.3 lakh in cash from the accused, the police said.
The accused, identified as Vijay Aniruddha Kadam (25), a resident of Parbhani, was apprehended on Monday following an investigation into several complaints of cheating in the district, a police release said on Tuesday.
The Crime Branch team received information about a man near the city's New Renapur Naka who was impersonating a police officer and defrauding people.
Acting swiftly, the police set a trap and apprehended the suspect. A search led to the recovery of Rs 4.3 lakh in cash from him, the release said.
During interrogation, Kadam told the police that he would track theft cases reported in newspapers, obtain victims' contact numbers, and approach them posing as a police officer.
To gain trust, he showed them a video of himself purportedly attending a UPSC interview and prepared fake documents, including a forged record bearing a false identity. He promised victims the recovery of their stolen valuables and extracted large sums of money, the police said.
In one such case, a complainant from Ahmedpur was duped of Rs 5 lakh on March 19, after being assured recovery of stolen gold, they said.
The accused had already spent Rs 70,000, while the police recovered the remaining Rs 4.3 lakh, the police said.
He admitted to committing similar frauds over the past two years in Nanded and Parbhani districts, they said.
The police from these districts were coordinating to probe his involvement in other cases.
A case has been registered against the accused at Ahmedpur police station in Latur under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the release said.
The Latur police have appealed to people to remain vigilant and not to fall prey to anyone claiming to be a police officer without proper verification.
