Fake policemen have a field day

Con artists strike at five places across City in under three hours

A gang of fake an policemen went on attention-diversion spree, cheating at least five gullible citizens at various places in the City on Sunday.

The first incident was reported from Vyalikaval police limits. Murthy, 55, a resident of 18th cross Malleswaram, was returning home from a morning walk at about 8.30 am. As he was walking near Bhashyam Circle, Sadashivanagar, a person approached him and introduced himself as a policeman and said that there was a murder for gain two roads away and it was not safe to wear gold ornaments.

 The man suggested that Murthy remove his 40-gram gold chain, wrap it in a piece of paper and place it in his pocket. Murthy followed his instructions, only to realise later that the man had swapped the paper with one containing a pebble. A case has been registered at the Vyalikaval police station.

In the second incident, this time at BEL Circle, a man introduced himself as a policeman to Sagai Mercy, 56, a resident of Bommasandra, and again spoke of a murder in the vicinity and recommended that she remove her jewellery. He then helped her wrap it in a piece of paper and place it into her bag. Later, she discovered that the packet had been substituted. A case has been registered at the Jalahalli police station.

The third victim was Rani, a resident of 18th Cross, Malleswaram. Four men standing by the side of the road stopped three women on Triveni Road, Yeshwantpur. Introducing themselves as policemen, they again fed the women stories of a murder and suggested that they take off their jewellery. Two of the women, unconvinced by the story, declined.

The third, Rani, 55,  who was on her way to her relative's house for a pooja, removed her gold chain and two gold bangles  — all together weighing 100 gram. She later found that the jewellery had been replaced by pebbles. A case has been registered at the Yeshwantpur police station.

Kamalamma, 75, returning home from a corner store on Pipeline Road was stopped by a man claiming to be a policeman. Using the same tactics , he made away with her 75-gram gold chain. A case has been registered at the Malleswaram police station.

At about 11 am, the gang bamboozled 70-year-old Saraswathi Bai, a resident of Williams Town, Pulikeshi Nagar, while she was waiting for a bus. Narrating the same story as before, a man posing as a policeman conned her of her a 70 gram gold chain. A case has been registered at the Pulikeshinagar police station.

“All the incidents are reported to have taken place between 8:30 am and 11 am on Sunday morning,” police said, adding that  there was a strong possibility that all the crimes were committed by the same group of men.

A senior official handling City crime, told Deccan Herald that a group of the “Irani” gang was responsible for the crimes. Although the Central Crime Branch had recently busted one such gang and arrested six men, the officials explained that there are an estimated four groups of these men in the City. “There is no doubt that the same gang was involved in the robberies,” he said. “Their methods were the same, and the victims’ descriptions of the suspects are also similar.”