Bhadrak: Odisha Police arrested a man on Friday for impersonating a police officer, an army officer, and a Railway Protection Force personnel. The individual, identified as Rahul S Ranawat from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, was apprehended at a hotel with fake uniforms, insignia, and a vehicle altered to look like a police car. The arrest occurred after police noticed a Jharkhand-registered vehicle that had been parked near the hotel for several days. Upon inspection, officers discovered that the car was unlawfully equipped with police insignia and siren lights. Further investigation resulted in the recovery of a firearm and 38 items related to law enforcement, including uniforms from Assam and Jharkhand Police, badges, and additional paraphernalia.
Ranawat had been presenting himself as an officer from various forces, at times claiming to be an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) or posing as an army or RPF officer. “This is a rare and novel case of fraud,” stated Additional SP Arup Abhishek Behera during a press conference.