At least three instances of criminals impersonating police officers have been reported in the city.
A 32-year-old woman, who was recently arrested for kidnapping a newborn from the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, has reportedly cheated several people across the State, posing as assistant commissioner of police, crime investigation officer or advocate.
On September 18, a newborn was taken away from the hospital in a call taxi by a woman, who posed as a police officer to the baby’s parents. Later, following a complaint from the newborn’s mother, Manimekalai, 22, of Chengam, the police arrested the accused, Manimekalai, 32, from Guhai, Salem. Her accomplice Aishwarya was also arrested.
Following her arrest, several complaints were lodged against her, police said. According to a complainant from Thanjavur, she had received ₹32 lakh for getting the former a government job. Manimekalai had claimed that she was a crime inspector when she was asked why she was not in an uniform.
A senior police officer said, “It is so surprising to see that people are falling for such fraudsters. How can they believe them blindly?”
Fake IPS officer held
The Central Crime Branch police arrested a 31-year-old man who posed as an IPS officer, and cheated a businessman from Salem. The accused Gunasekar, 31, resident of Otteri, received ₹50 lakh from Senthilraja, 32, from Sooramangalam, Salem, for obaining a contract to mine sand in Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur. However, he neither got the contract nor returned the money. The accused was also going around in a car with a blue beacon fitted on top. Further investigation is on to find out if there are more victims.
Fake SI robs elderly woman
On Saturday morning, 75-year-old Padma was walking near a temple in Bharathidasan Colony, MGR Nagar. A neatly-dressed youth stopped her and introducing himself as a sub-inspector, he told her that the inspector of Station House had summoned her. He made her remove her jewellery weighing 12 sovereigns and packed it in a cover by diverting her attention.
Then, he asked her to go home.
Only after reaching her house, she realised that she was cheated. She only found stones in the pack instead of the gold chain.
Her son lodged a complaint with the MGR Nagar police station.