Miscreants posing as police rob 25-year-old at his home in Bengaluru; four held

The Bengaluru police arrested four people for allegedly posing as a police officer and robbing a 25-year-old resident of Vidyaranyapura in northeast Bengaluru on December 7. The defendants were identified as 27-year-old Mallikarjun.S., who was disguised as a police officer, alias Malli, 30-year-old Promod V. and 36-year-old Vinay HT and his assistant Hruthvik P. (24). Police said the trio.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), Mallikarjun, along with Promod and Vinay, dressed in police sub-inspector uniform, posing as plainclothes police officers, barged into the victim’s house in Narasipura Layout in Vidyaranyapura around 11.30 pm on December 7.

Mallikarjun allegedly accused the victim of drug dealing and told him that his house would be searched. The fake officers searched the house and attacked the victim with lathis and iron rods, then transferred ₹87,000 from his bank account and detained ₹55,000 in cash.

Speaking to the police, the victim said, “They accused me of earning the seized money by selling drugs and took me away. They threatened to file a drug case against me if I reported the incident to anyone,” and added that she filed a complaint when she became suspicious of the “police”.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northeast) Sajeeth V. formed a special team to trace the suspects after an FIR was registered at Vidyaranyapura police station under BNS Section 311 dealing with the robbery. The team confirmed that these people were fraudsters, examined CCTV footage of the surrounding area and followed technical clues, eventually arresting all the four accused.

Investigations revealed that prime suspect Mallikarjun was once a police aspirant and failed the competitive examination. Since then, he was working as a police officer in his village near Siraguppa in Ballari district.

Mr. Sajeeth said Mallikarjun, a resident of Mathikere, had a police uniform stitched in Kamakshipalya after failing the exam and bought all the accessories worn by police personnel. He also had a photo shoot in uniform and posed as a police officer in his village.

“He met another accused named Hruthvik in Kamakshipalya and informed him that the victim was alone in his house and had money. Mallikarjun then convinced his two friends and hatched a robbery plan,” he said.

The defendant told police they planned to make a quick buck, believing they would not be caught if they impersonated police officers. Police seized ₹45,000 cash, a car and a two-wheeler used in committing the crime.