'IPS officer' bids to resolve dispute at station, arrested

CHENNAI: Police arrested a 25-year man who arrived at the Abiramapuram police station posing as an IPS officer to solve a property dispute.

Police said Zeenath was married to Mohammed Farooq who had died 14 years ago. The house belonging to Farooq was occupied by his brother's second wife Sahana. Zeenath demanded that Sahana move out but was thwarted by family.

A fight broke out and Zeenath alerted the police control room.

Constable Sivagamasundari arrived at the spot when she found a car fitted with a siren outside the house. A man identifying himself as Sivanesan of West Mambalam told the constable that he was an IPS officer and asked her to return to the station, police said. "He said he would come to the station and speak to the inspector himself," an officer said.

Believing Sivanesan, the constable left. Soon after, the man reached the station and told the inspector that he was working with Interpol. Police said he also mentioned a few IPS officer claimed he knew personally. The inspector, however, grew suspicious of Sivanesan and raised more questions. In the course of the interrogation, Sivanesan admitted he wasn't an IPS officer.

"He was a criminology graduate and had also completed his UG in social work at a college in Tambaram," an officer said. Police seized the car that Sivanesan used. It had a police sticker on it and six packets of ganja were concealed in the seat.