‘Fake cops’ behind crime surge
The fake police uniform, with a serious potential threat of being used in terrorist activities, is easily available in the provincial metropolis as the cases of people impersonating cops are rampant.
A few days back, Hanjarwal Investigations Police had arrested a man named Hamza Saleem impersonating as an under-training ASP. The suspect ran a small pharmacy and was just a matriculate.
Saleem would enter into various police installations, would make selfies with policemen and make contacts with them later to be used for the purpose of impressing or creating nuisance value.
On October 06, a man identified as Abdul Sattar had been arrested from Quaid-i-Azam Industrial Estate. The suspect had uploaded pictures of sophisticated weapons in police uniform on social media. He would introduce himself to the public as a commando and an employee of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD).
In January, a man identified as Malik Mudassar Ahmad, a resident of Kot Abdul Malik district Sheikhupura, was arrested for impersonating himself as a sub-inspector. He was visiting DIG Operations office where he introduced himself as a sub-inspector and tried to press the staff at the reception. On suspicion when his data was checked from the centralised human resource management system, no record was found.
The suspect had uploaded pictures on social media used to threaten people by introducing himself as a police officer.
In July this year, a Bhatti group in Cantonment police area was also nabbed. The suspects were involved in uploading videos of torturing a youth on social media and were seen wearing fake police uniforms.
In 2017, a suspected robbers gang had been operating in peripheral area of Lahore especially Manwan, Barki, Hadiara, Batapur and few areas of Sadar Division. Donned in the law enforcement agencies uniform, the gang would barge into the houses of people on the pretext of search operations and loot valuables. They carried out over a dozen robberies before being nabbed.
In 2015, Lahore Police had arrested a gang comprising of at least three suspects. The suspects would use a law enforcement agency’s uniform to loot and defraud citizens.
Besides many fake traffic wardens have also been arrested in proper uniform especially Band road area, minting money on the pretext of taking bribe for relaxation over traffic violations.
An officer shared with The Express Tribune that the department would provide at least two police uniforms to each member of the force every year. However, there obviously were gaps sometimes in the timely provision. Sometimes, the piece or quality of clothes was not liked by the one wearing it. Many members of the force would like to collect more pairs of the uniform.
To fulfil such gaps, they would try to acquire a police uniform privately. These were available at a few shops located adjacent to the police lines. The shopkeepers would provide it only on the provision of a service card. However, there are loopholes everywhere. The suspects would be wearing the fake uniform would also use the outlets. In some cases, they would imply an employee’s service.
In other cases, they would get it by bribing the shopkeepers or the persons in the market that was selling them illegally. The second-hand market or disposal points were also a source of such uniforms, he added.
He said fake police uniforms have even been used in attacks at few very sensitive installations. The offenders had camouflaged themselves after acquiring the fake uniform. There has been much news in which suspects impersonating themselves as NAB officers have been arrested.
He also quoted an instance in which former CTO SSP Liaqat Malik had received a phone call from a person impersonating himself as a federal minister. He had called him to favour him in the issuance of a driving licence to a person that had just appeared before him.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 22nd, 2020.