The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested a proclaimed offender who had been evading trial for several years after allegedly impersonating an Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer and cheating members of the public, officials said on Friday.
The accused, identified as Vimal Bhat alias Sonu, a resident of Raj Nagar Extension in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, was apprehended from the Patparganj Industrial Area in East Delhi on January 29 following specific intelligence inputs. He had earlier been declared a Proclaimed Offender by a court in connection with FIR registered at Dwarka South police station.
Police said a dedicated Crime Branch team was constituted after receiving information about the accused’s whereabouts. Acting on the tip-off, the team laid a trap in the Patparganj Industrial Area, where the suspect was identified by a secret informer at around 3.25 pm while approaching from the industrial area side. After confirming his identity, the team took him into custody.
Investigations in the Dwarka South case revealed that the accused had been masquerading as an IPS officer posted with the Intelligence Bureau to mislead people and gain undue influence. He allegedly carried a forged IB identity card and used a vehicle fitted with “POLICE” stickers, a siren and a loud hailer to project himself as a government official.
