Madikeri:  Four persons from Kerala, impersonating Indian Police Service (IPS) Officers, were arrested and taken into custody by the Napoklu Police and District Crime Investigation Squad personnel in Kodagu yesterday. One of the accused had married a girl from Napoklu after luring her and convincing her family members with the fake identity.

All the four accused had come in Police uniforms. The arrested are 21-year-old Mithun, a resident of Thrissur district who had married Napoklu girl with the fake identity, 30-year-old Manoj, a teacher at Good Samaritan Public School and a resident of Palakkad, 30-year-old Abutahir, an auto driver and Vinod, a taxi driver. All the four accused have been remanded to  Judicial custody.

The four were moving around in an SUV in Naladi village in Napoklu and locals, who found their movement suspicious, tipped off the Police about their presence. 

The accused had arrived at Napoklu about two days ago and had stopped their vehicle on the roadside in the night and had gone to sleep inside the vehicle. Next morning, a few villagers saw the Kerala-registered vehicle parked on the roadside and found four youths sleeping inside. 

When villagers began to question the youths, they told the villagers that they were a part of a film crew that had come for shooting. They revealed that they had come in the night and had lost the way and hence parked the vehicle on the roadside. Suspecting something fishy, the villagers tipped off the Police. 

When the Police reached the spot and quizzed them, the four dilly-dallied in answering which reinforced the officer’s suspicion. He took them to the Station for further questioning. 

On inspection of the vehicle, it was found that a new set of Police uniforms, a belt, lathi, Police cap, a star for the vehicle to depict rank, top light, etc. were stored inside. 

Napoklu Police then transferred the case to District Crime Investigation Bureau (DCIB).

One of the accused, Mithun of Thrissur had married a girl of Naladi village in Napoklu, Kodagu, by claiming to be an IPS officer. After the marriage, the girl realised that she had been duped and filed a complaint in the jurisdictional Police Station in Thrissur, Kerala. The case is under investigation. 

The complaint was lodged at Mannuthy Police Station in Thrissur, Kerala, this month and the Police had registered a case under IPC Section 376, 419 and 420. 

Mithun confessed to the Police that he had come in Police uniform to convince the girl’s relatives that he was an IPS officer. Mithun had plans to visit the houses of the girl’s relatives who were living in Naladi village to convince them that he was indeed an IPS officer. But before he could reach their houses, villagers had handed them over to the Police.

The Police have seized the SUV (KL-37 B-525) used for the crime, IPS Officer’s belt, one Police beret cap, Police peak cap, ceremonial belt, star sticker and flag, fibre lathi, an IPS Officer uniform and a pair of brown shoes from the accused.