A man, who identified himself as a senior Jharkhand police officer and caught a Trinamool leader who was escaping after hitting a pedestrian in February, has been arrested for allegedly posing as an IPS officer and extorting money from several persons, police said today.
Somen Kumar Suryabangshi (29) was arrested from a flat in Chinar Park in Baguihati late last night after Trinamool youth leader Kanishka Majumdar lodged a complaint against him, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.
Suryabangshi had caught hold of Majumdar when the latter's vehicle tried to flee after hitting a person on Bijon Setu in February and handed him over to police.
"He (Suryabangshi) had identified himself as an Additional SP of Bokaro Police and had given statements during Majumdar's arrest," the officer said.
The TMC leader lodged a complaint earlier this month questioning Suryabangshi's identity as an IPS officer, he said.
"When contacted, Bokaro Police denied having anybody as an Additional SP. During our investigation we found that the accused has been cheating people posing as an IPS officer and till date he has collected lakhs of rupees in that manner," the officer said.
Several fake identity cards depicting Suryabangshi as an "IPS officer", a vehicle with number plate "identifying" him an a senior police officer of Jharkhand were seized, he said.
The accused has been booked under IPC Sections 170 (personating a public servant), 171 (Wearing garb used by public servant with fraudulent intent) and 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), he said.
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