Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A group of impostors posing as policemen robbed a farmer couple of five tolas of gold ornaments, near Tisgaon Phata, on Sunday at 1.30 pm. It may be noted that the perpetrators have been roaming in the city for the past six months, but not a single case has been solved by the local police or the crime branch.
Gokul Singh Kawal (55, Dongargaon, Sillod) had come to the city on Sunday with his wife to attend a relative’s wedding. After the ceremony, they visited their daughter in Waluj and then started heading back home. While travelling from Nagarnaka towards Sawangi, they were followed by some motorcyclists. Near the bridge at Tisgaon Phata, the bikers loudly called out and forced them to stop. Kawal parked his two-wheeler by the roadside.
At that moment, the men on the bike sternly said, “How many times do we have to call you? Why aren’t you stopping?” They then claimed to be police officers and even showed an ID. They mentioned that a murder had just occurred the previous day and told them to remove their jewellery for safety. Believing them, Kawal removed the rings from his fingers, and his wife also took off her jewellery. While they were putting the ornaments in a bag, the fake police handed over a piece of paper and asked them to place the valuables on it. Kawal complied and handed the wrapped paper back. The impostors then quickly fled the scene.
Stone instead of jewellery
Using sleight of hand, the impostors switched the paper containing the jewellery with a similar-looking one filled with a stone, and handed that to Kawal. They escaped with the original package, which included a 3 tola gold necklace, a 1 tola bangle, and two rings weighing half a tola each. Cantonment Police are currently investigating the case.
Fake witnesses to make the act believable
To win the victim’s trust, the fake police bring along accomplices disguised as regular citizens. These accomplices linger nearby, and the fake officers pretend to reprimand them as well, creating a convincing scene. While intimidating Kawal, two bikers stood nearby, and the impostors pretended to order them to remove their jewellery too, making the entire act appear authentic.