Wednesday, 16 March 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
The police have arrested a 34-year-old man Mukesh Kukreti for impersonating a police constable and extorting money from many people in public places in Dehradun. The police informed that a man called the Vasant Vihar police station and said that he suspected a man impersonating a police constable roaming in the marketplace. The team headed by sub inspector Viksit Panwar started checking in the Indiranagar area when they finally nabbed the accused. According to the police, the accused presented himself as a police constable to the team too. He also presented a forged identity card of a police constable but on further queries, he failed to respond satisfactorily to many basic questions like information about his training period. The police said that he finally confessed that he posed as a constable in public places to extort money by intimidating people as he has no means of earning livelihood. He said that he used to intimidate people like small vendors and operators of public transport vehicles among others to get some money from them on a regular basis. The accused is a local and lives in the Vasant Vihar area. The police have recovered a visiting card, a private walkie talkie, a pistol holster, a jacket of Uttarakhand police constable, a belt with a badge of the state police and a forged identity card. The police said that a case has been registered against him under several relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and legal action will be taken against him as per the law. The Director-General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar said on the issue that though the police try to nab such offenders, the citizens also need to remain vigilant when they interact with such people. He said that if any person has the slightest doubt about the activity of anybody appearing to be a police personnel, they should immediately complain about such incidents. He said, “The public has the right to ask for the identity card and other relevant details if they are approached by any police personnel. It is not hard for anybody today to get a police dress so common people need to stay vigilant too. People should not get unnecessarily intimidated by police and must complain at the toll free number 112 immediately if they interact with any suspicious person.”
