Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The Kranti Chowk police have arrested an imposter Ismail Shah Rasul Shah (24, Artinagar, Misarwadi) on a charge of posing himself as a cop from the premises of Central Bus Stand.
He was claiming to be an employee of Kranti Chowk police station and was at the bus stand to arrest a thief coming in a bus from Ahmednagar.
Putting on the police uniform, Ismail reached the bus stand on Monday at noon. He stopped one hawker Rahul Massila and told him that he was a cop. He told him that a thief wearing a T-shirt was coming from Ahmednagar on a bus. He shared his mobile number and told him to contact as soon as he spots the person with the described features. Later on, he was seen threatening other hawkers and sellers on campus. Hence this raised a suspicion amongst the hawkers, who then called Kranti Chowk police station for verification. In response to it, the police station said that there is no such personnel deployed at the bus stand. The police also gave one number to contact and intimate about the imposter.
Later on, the real police laid a trap. They told the hawker to make a call to Ismail saying that the person to whom he was searching had been spotted. He immediately reached the Bus Stand but was shocked on seeing the real police. He tried to run away leaving his motorcycle, but the cops and sellers chased and arrested him outside the bus stand.
It is learned that Ismail works on a petrol pump. The police have registered an offence against him. Further investigation is on, said the PSI Vikas Khatke who is doing investigation under the guidance of police inspector Sunil Mane.