Cops arrest fake NIA officer after two-hour & 80km chase

Nagpur: City police crime branch arrested a 25-year-old man for impersonating a police officer and flashing a forged National Investigation Agency (NIA) identity card to deceive a local businessman and lawn owner on Tuesday. The dramatic two-hour chase spanning approximately 80km across city roads and outskirts led to the suspect's capture late on Tuesday.Sources stated the impersonator, identified as Prahlad Sinha, operated a rent-a-cab business through an app. Three customers fled with a car hired through the app from Sinha. In order to retrieve the stolen car, Sinha tracked his vehicle through GPS and arrived at a marriage lawn, where he tried to mislead people by posing as a senior security official as PI and then as an NIA officer.Subsequently, the second episode of impersonation began early on Jan 27 around 6am at a marriage lawn on Kamptee road, Yashodhara Nagar. Complainant Hasdisingh Bhatia (43), a transport business owner who also oversees his father's lawn business, received a suspicious call from a mobile number.The caller identified himself as Prahlad Sinha, police inspector (PI) from Butibori police station, claiming a stolen car was parked outside the lawn. He instructed Bhatia to stop the vehicle and its occupants from leaving.Bhatia alerted the lawn management and watchman, who spotted a matching car with four to five individuals in black clothes. When approached, they claimed that the car had a flat tyre, retrieved a spare from the boot, and drove off.The caller rang again, insisting he was PI Prahlad Sinha. Bhatia reached the spot and confronted the man, who arrived claiming to be en route. Doubts arose when the suspect faltered on questions about his department — Butibori falls under Nagpur rural, not Thane — and produced an NIA ID card to bolster his claims.The forged ID listed the name ‘Prahlad Dilipkumar Sinha', with date of birth March 11, 1996, rank asst chief intelligence officer, posted in Nagpur, and validity until Aug 31, 2052. The card also featured a govt of India logo, his photograph, and official text.Unconvinced, Bhatia photographed the ID and suspect discreetly before demanding more details, like office address and senior's name. The man evaded and fled in an orange car with an accomplice, abandoning associate Tejas Dahekar at the scene.Bhatia immediately informed DCP crime branch Rahul Maknikar, triggering a swift response. Crime branch, led by police inspector Vinayak Golhe and sub-inspector Vijay Gite, launched a pursuit using technical surveillance to track the suspect's mobile and vehicle. Coordinated with the Nagpur city police control room, the team chased him through routes including Ring Road, Pratap Nagar, and areas towards Butibori.The Butibori rural police intercepted the vehicle in Satgaon and handed over the suspect.A search at the crime branch revealed glaring inconsistencies: his Aadhaar showed a date of birth of March 3, 2001, with name variations like Prahlad Singh.The seized items included ₹8,530 cash (returned after verification), the mobile phone, and a car, collectively valued at ₹3,25,000 in recovered property. An FIR was registered at Yashodhara Nagar police station on January 28 morning under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 204 (impersonating a public servant), 335 (making false document), 336(2) (forgery punishment), 340(1) and 340(2) (forgery offences), and 337 (forgery of public records).Police suspect this incident may link to a larger impersonation racket aimed at intimidating or extorting property owners by posing as officials.Investigations continue to trace accomplices, verify vehicle involvement, and probe connections to similar frauds.