Man arrested for posing as NIA officer, sexually harassing woman

Bhubaneswar: Kharavel Nagar police here on Friday arrested a man for allegedly impersonating a National Investigation Agency (NIA) officer and sexually harassing a woman.The accused, who identified himself as Asish Reddy, 45, of Delhi, is under verification. Police seized a fake NIA identity card, a red beacon vehicle bearing a ministry of home affairs plate, and a T-shirt emblazoned with the NIA name and logo.The incident unfolded dramatically after a woman from West Bengal recently lodged a complaint at Kharavel Nagar police station alleging gang rape by five men inside a vehicle on Puri-Konark marine drive road on April 27.During the investigation into her complaint, Reddy appeared at the station on Thursday, introduced himself as an NIA officer, and pressed police to expedite the probe. His conduct aroused suspicion, prompting senior officers to alert the NIA’s Bhubaneswar office, which confirmed he was not associated with the agency. Police seized two sharp-edged weapons from his vehicle.The case took another turn when the complainant revealed that she was not gang-raped and Reddy had instigated her to file the false case. “She claimed ignorance of his motives and denied knowing about his false claim of being an NIA officer,” a police officer said.“Now, she has lodged a complaint against Reddy for sexually harassing her. We have registered two cases against him — one for cheating and impersonation, and another for sexual harassment. We suspect he may have duped several people by posing as an NIA officer. His antecedents are being verified,” said police commissioner S Dev Datta Singh.