Chor police

Fake cops are on the prowl; conmen target senior citizens, women

Walking casually down the Bibvewadi-Kondhwa road near Dhavalgiri society on Saturday morning, Usha Rangnath Joshi (85) was approached by some youths who posed as policemen and asked her to remove her gold ornaments and keep them safely in a handkerchief in her bag.

The conmen, who looked like they were in their 30s, fed her a story that a serious crime had occurred in the area and culprits who were yet to be nabbed might steal her ornaments. And in a few fleeting moments, the youths had snatched her ornaments and fled.

They came on a motorcycle on Sunday near the Chrome chowk in Wanawadi and did a repeat of what was done with Joshi.

Disturbing rise in cases

Fake policemen are on the prowl in the city once again, and senior citizens, especially women are easy targets for them.

Alarmed by the rise in such crimes, the police are now making people aware of measures to tackle the menace.
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Since January, eight such cases have been reported with the police. But not one of the culprits has been nabbed so far.

In 2009, 40 such cases were reported, of which 28 were solved after a gang was arrested.
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Police appeal

Additional Commissioner of Police Anant Shinde and Deputy Commissioner of Police Anant Rokde of the Crime Branch have appealed to people to ask for identity proof of anyone claiming to be a policeman.

"We have not undertaken any drive which asks people to remove their valuables," said Shinde.

The police claim that several factors are preventing them from cracking such cases.

Chief among them is that senior citizens do not register complaints till much later as they don't realise they have been cheated, and the delay in informing the police hampers investigations.

The police have said victims should inform the police within 10 minutes on the control room number 100 or contact the Crime Branch on 26121685, 26208295, 26208250 and 26126296. They can also do so at the nearest police station or chowky.

The police say the first thing citizens should do is note down the vehicle number on which the conmen approach them.

The police add that people should also keep in mind how the suspects looked, as it helps the police draw sketches and release them.

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