Hotel worker arrested for posing as cop in viral social media post

Hyderabad: The Saifabad police arrested a 31-year-old hotel worker for posing as a police constable at the Telangana secretariat and posting an Instagram reel inviting people to contact him if they wanted to meet chief minister A Revanth Reddy.On Tuesday, the police registered a suo motu case against the accused, Thaturi Ravi alias Charan Yadav, under various sections of the BNS and the IT Act after his Instagram reel, filmed on the secretariat premises while he was in police uniform, went viral.According to Saifabad inspector A Seetaiah, the accused entered the premises on April 26 evening wearing a police uniform. He visited the secretariat with his wife and requested the security personnel to allow him to take a selfie from the premises. Believing him to be a constable, they allowed him. In the reel, he falsely claimed to be part of the chief minister's security detail and asked the public to contact him if they wanted a direct meeting with the CM without prior appointment.During the investigation, the police found that Ravi had earlier worked at the Goshamahal police stadium canteen and had developed an obsession with the authority associated with the police uniform. "He purchased police uniform from a seller near the Amberpet police lines," the inspector said. The accused was arrested from Nampally on Wednesday, and the uniform was seized from him. He was produced before the court and sent to judicial remand.