Vineeth K, an X (formerly Twitter) user, took to the microblogging site on Wednesday and claimed that people in police uniforms roam areas like Wagholi and Kharadi in Pune and ask for money. He advised citizens not to give them money as they do not have any identification.
He wrote, "Visiting Pune for the first time? If you are in the Kharadi, Wagholi area during morning office hours, you might see some people dressed in police uniforms coming and asking for money for the welfare of the police. Don’t give; they don’t have proper ID and are not verified. Seen it for years now."
Meanwhile, netizens said that these people are Bahurupis.
"This is actually a very old Bahurupi folk tradition. They would visit homes dressed as police, recite a fake FIR saying warrants were issued and that you had to appear in court, all done in a comic way to make people laugh. In return, people would offer food or groceries out of goodwill. Over time, some have shifted to asking for money in the name of welfare or charity. While people should stay cautious and verify before donating, the entire tradition shouldn’t be dismissed as a scam. It has cultural roots, even if the format has evolved," an X user commented.
Another user stated, "They are called Bahurupiyas. They are local artists who dress up as different people. Over a period, they understood that a police uniform gets them more money. They carry a book in which they write names and donations received. I have no idea why they do that."
"These fake 'police' are all over the place in the Amanora and Magarpatta areas, too. Best to ignore and walk away. One wonders why the real cops do nothing about these parasites who prey on old folks and women," a third user wrote.
Check out the reactions below:
