Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Nov 19: Three persons, who used to pose themselves as belonging to special police squad, anti rowdy squad and special branch, whose main aim was to rob innocent people, particularly lovers, of their valuables by threatening them, have been arrested. The trio was taken into custody by policemen of Talaghattapura station in the city on Saturday November 18.

The identities of the arrested men have been given as Raghu (34), a home guards volunteer who had earlier worked at transport office at Ramanagara, Doddaiah (48), who works as assistant for Muthoot Finance office, and Harish (31) from Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, who works as a teacher of science subject there. A Bolero jeep with the sticker reading 'police' on it, fake 'G' numberplate used for registered government vehicles, a Innova car, uniform of sub-inspector, cane, belt, cap, shoes, fake pistols and a fake double barrel gun were seized from their possession.

Additional police commissioner, Malini Krishnamurthi, said that 500 grams of gold ornaments the trio had collected from people involved in 14 cases, four lac rupees in cash and several cellphones have been seized from their possession. Raghu faces 15 cases of robbery. Doddaiah faces three cases of extortion and a case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, she said.

The police had information that in one case, lovers found roaming alone on Bannerghatta road were threatened by the accused, who took away money and two cellphones from them. Another youth had complained to Talaghattapura station about three persons who looked like police but behaved like robbers, fleecing him. The police nabbed them on the basis of the stolen cellphone location.

Raghu was encouraged by the comments made by other police when he was working at Ramanagara transport office that police uniform suits him well. He was conversant with the behaviour of the police and their mannerisms. He instantly thought of making use of his personality to make quick money. He used to be involved with petty thefts but was caught and jailed. Doddaiah, who was jailed on rape charges of minor, met Raghu in jail. Both of them conceived a plan to rob in the guise of police so that no one can question them.They got police sticker and stuck it a Bolero jeep they acquired.

Raghu got his uniform stitched at Ramanagara by using Safari cloth to look like higher officer in the department. In order to help them with language issues when dealing with lovers not knowing Kannada language roaming around lonely locations, they made Harish from Tamil Nadu, who knows English, a member of their gang. The gang began operations close to dusk in the Bolerio vehicle, and moved mostly around roads in the city outskirts like Nice Road, Bannerghatt road Hosur road etc where movement of people is scarce. They used to approach lonely people, lovers, and married couples who moved around in these places, threaten them, and force them to part with their belongings. They mostly tried to make lovers their target, and questioned them about their motives, asking them to come with them to the police station, and threaten them of informing their parents. These lovers normally were afraid of all this mess and therefore readily gave whatever they had, police said.