In a startling case of impersonation, Jaipur city police on Wednesday arrested a 42-year-old man, Chandraprakash Soni, for pretending to be a uniformed police officer and using a fake police SUV to extort money from unsuspecting citizens.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Karan Sharma confirmed that Soni, a native of Sikar now residing in Jaipur, used a rented black Scorpio vehicle outfitted with illegal police lights to appear as a senior IPS officer.
Police sources revealed that Soni’s vehicle looked strikingly official, raising suspicions when residents noticed him frequently driving around in it. “Several people across the city spotted him in what appeared to be a senior officer’s vehicle,” said an official.
Soni admitted to the crime during interrogation. “Zyada nahi, sirf ek-do lakh (not much, only Rs 1-2 lakh),” he reportedly told investigators, referring to the amount of money he had extorted.
The arrest comes as part of a wider crackdown on impersonators by city police. The operation was led by SHO Mukesh Kumar from Jaysinghpura Khor police station.
Authorities are now probing how Soni sourced the police lights and whether others are involved in similar scams.
