Fake Cop Arrested In Maharashtra's Latur For Cheating Theft Victims With Recovery Scam

A man has been arrested in Latur for posing as a police officer and cheating people by promising to recover stolen property. The accused tracked theft cases, contacted victims and used fake documents to gain trust. Police recovered Rs 4.3 lakh from him. He admitted to similar frauds in other districts.

A 25-year-old man has been arrested in Maharashtra's Latur district for allegedly pretending to be a police officer and cheating people. The accused, Vijay Aniruddha Kadam, is a resident of Parbhani and was caught by the Local Crime Branch on Monday. Police said the arrest came after several complaints of cheating were reported from different parts of the district.

How the scam worked

According to officials, Kadam followed theft cases reported in newspapers. He then found contact details of victims and approached them while pretending to be a police officer. To gain their trust, he showed a video of himself claiming to attend a UPSC interview, according to a report by the Times of India. He also used fake documents, including a forged panchnama, to make his story look real.

He promised victims that he could help recover their stolen valuables and asked for money in return.

Arrest after tip-off

Police said they received a tip-off about a man near New Renapur Naka who was cheating people in this way. Acting on the information, a team laid a trap and caught him. During the search, officers recovered Rs 4.3 lakh in cash from his possession, the TOI report added.

Victims cheated of large sums

During questioning, Kadam admitted to cheating several people. In one case, a man from Ahmedpur was duped of Rs 5 lakh on March 19 after being promised recovery of stolen gold. Police said the accused had already spent Rs 70,000 from this amount, while the rest was recovered.

Fraud spread across districts

Kadam also told police that he had carried out similar frauds over the past two years in Nanded and Parbhani districts. Police teams from these areas are now working together to check his role in other cases.

Case registered, public warned

A case has been registered against him at Ahmedpur police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police have asked people to stay alert and always verify the identity of anyone claiming to be a police officer before trusting them.