Mumbai: Man Booked for Impersonating Traffic Police Officer

Mumbai: The Raigad police have booked a 22-year-old man for allegedly impersonating as a traffic police officer. The accused had also visited a local school and had interacted with students on traffic rules awareness. The school authorities got suspicious of the behaviour of the 'officer'  and informed the police, who apprehended him.

According to the police, the complainant is a teacher at a Nagaon based school. On July 11, at 10.45 am, a police officer in full uniform came to the school and met the Principal. The person identified himself as AP Mestri and claimed that he was working as a sub-inspector at Raigad Traffic Police Department.

The said police officer had worn a red waist belt and a pistol pouch, a cap on his head, name and designation plate having his name as PSI A.P. Mestri, with stars on both shoulders stripes of the uniform. The officer then left after guiding the school children about traffic rules for a few minutes, the police stated in the FIR.

After that, for the next two days, the said person had again visited near the school and had been interacting with the children about the traffic rules. The school staff then got suspicious of the said person and decided to get his antecedents verified. On July 14, the said 'officer' again visited the school wearing a police uniform.

This time, the school authorities informed the police and after some time, the police came to the school and made enquiries with the person. The said person Mestri, a resident of Poladpur in Raigad admitted that he was not a police officer. A case was then registered against him under sections 170 (personating a public servant) and 171 (wearing garb or carrying a token used by a public servant with fraudulent intent) of the Indian Penal Code.

"We have arrested the accused and are probing further," Superintendent of Police, Raigad told FPJ.