COVID-19: Out on road with car and fake I-Card, driver lands in police net

Suraj Singh Bisht had driven around the city flashing the identity card of a gazetted officer but a ride during the COVID-19 lockdown in east Delhi has now landed the 30-year-old driver in trouble.

The problem is that the identity card that Bisht, which used to help him cross toll plazas without paying, was forged and he could not pull it off once again, thanks to a Delhi Police personnel at a picket enforcing the lockdown.

On April 3 evening, Bisht was on the wheels when police stopped him at a a picket in Anand Vihar to check whether he had curfew pass. Bisht flashed his identity card of "Assistant Commissioner" to Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Bijender, who was unimpressed with the scanned copy.

The police officer asked him to provide another identity card and unhesitantly Bisht handed over his driving licence. In any normal time, Bisht could have just got away but one thing struck the eyes of the ASI.

The date of birth recorded in both the identity cards were different and Bisht was caught, police said on Sunday. During questioning, they claimed, he told interrogators that he got it prepared by scanning the original identity card of some other person.

"Bisht also said that he got this forged identity card prepared to cross the toll plazas and now he was using this forged identity card to roam freely on the roads during the lockdown," police said. He was attached with a government official as his private driver.

Among other things, police seized the car Bisht was driving as well as uniform of ‘Assistant Commissioner’ in the name of Suraj Singh Bisht. A case has been registered for cheating, forgery and disobeying the instructions of public servant.

Since the lockdown that started on March 25, Delhi Police has registered 176 cases under Section 188 (disobeying the instructions of a public servant). It has detained 3,531 people and seized 388 vehicles for violating the lockdown and moving around without authorised passes for movement.

It also conducted physical verification at 517 addresses where people were put on home quarantine so far n Shahdara district and of this 11 people were found to be absent. In this connection, nine cases have been registered so far in Shahdara district.