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Man posing as cop sends Ahmedabad police on wild goose chase, arrested

AHMEDABAD: What began as a routine police call soon escalated into a high-alert case of deception after a man posing as a police sub-inspector managed to send Ahmedabads Navrangpura Police and Gujarat University Police on a chase before suspicion caught up with him. The sequence was triggered when the PSO on duty at Navrangpura Police Station received a call from a man confidently introducing himself as PSI Rathod from Mehsana district. Speaking authoritatively, the caller instructed the PSO to dispatch a police vehicle to a specific address, claiming that an accused linked to his case was hiding there. As the address fell under the jurisdiction of Gujarat University Police Station, the call was transferred, an administrative step that unknowingly played into the impersonators plan. Acting on the directions, Gujarat University Police sent a PCR van to the location. However, the plot began to unravel when the PCR driver contacted the so-called PSI Rathod after reaching the spot. His tone, responses and mannerisms raised suspicion, prompting immediate concern. Sensing foul play, Gujarat University Police quietly verified whether any PSI named Rathod was posted in Mehsana district and whether the mobile number belonged to a serving officer. Both checks returned negative. With the deception confirmed, a case was registered at Gujarat University Police Station for impersonation, cheating and misleading the police. Investigators launched a search using technical surveillance and human intelligence. The trail led to Patan district, where the caller was identified as Tarun Brahmabhatt. He was arrested and brought in for questioning. During interrogation, Brahmabhatt claimed he had impersonated a PSI to pressure a man who was allegedly harassing his wife with obscene messages. Police, however, found the explanation questionable, particularly in light of his criminal history. Investigators revealed that Brahmabhatt has multiple cases of cheating and impersonation registered against him at Mehsana, Khokhra, Patan and Chansma police stations. This prompted authorities to widen the probe to identify any additional offences. Explaining the sequence of events, Ahmedabad B Division ACP H.M. Kanasagra said the accused had exploited jurisdictional boundaries to carry out the deception. He first called Navrangpura Police Station posing as PSI Rathod from Mehsana and gave an address claiming it fell under their area. When it was clarified that the location came under Gujarat University Police limits, the call was transferred. A PCR van was sent and instructed to contact him, but the driver immediately sensed something was wrong, Kanasagra said. He added that verification through technical surveillance and internal records confirmed that no PSI Rathod was serving in Mehsana district. Once that was established, we registered a case for impersonation and misleading the police, the ACP said. Gujarat University Police are now examining records across districts to determine how many times the accused has masqueraded as a police officer and how close he came to misusing the system before being exposed by an alert PCR driver.

19 Dec 2025 4:55 pm