Mumbai: Mulund residents suspect ‘fake’ cops, later learn they were real officers tracing fugitive

There was high drama at Mahakali Nagar in Mulund East earlier this week when residents panicked after four men claiming to be from the Tamil Nadu Police arrived at their gate to meet a resident in connection with an alleged murder and fraud case on Sunday afternoonThe alarm was immediate because several recent incidents in the eastern suburbs involved fraudsters posing as police officers With fear of ldquocons as copsrdquo running high the societyrsquos security guard refused to let the four in Even the resident they had come to meet insisted they return with Mumbai Police personnel before any conversationTamil Nadu police team arrives in Mulund for a covert search operation Their quiet recce at the society triggers confusion and alarm among residents IllustrationUday MohiteResidents said the men introduced themselves as officers but were not accompanied by any local police team ldquoWe didnrsquot want to take a chancerdquo one resident said adding that the group quickly left after saying they would return with Mumbai PoliceResidents then briefly questioned the visitors at the gate During a short exchange in English with the security guard and a few members of the society the visitors were asked to show their ID cards and explain why they were not in uniform They claimed they were keeping their identities discreet Skeptical residents continued questioning themldquoTheir visit was lowkey They didnrsquot want to attract attention so they left without answering much Residents found this suspicious and assumed they were fraudstersrdquo a police official saidResidents and officers land at Navghar police station Local police confirm visitors are genuine Tamil Nadu cops tracking a wanted fugitiveTo clear their doubts residents went to the nearby Navghar police station What they learned surprised them The four men were indeed Tamil Nadu Police officers led by a subinspector and had travelled to Mumbai to trace a wanted accused believed to be hiding in the area confirmed Rakesh Ola DCP Zone 7Police said the officers were from the Nanguneri police station in Tirunelveli district and were searching for a ldquosharp and notoriousrdquo accused wanted for property damage and extortion and with a history of violent crimes The accused had been on the run for weeks frequently shifting locations forcing the team to chase him across statesAccording to Parag Sonawane senior police inspector of Navghar police station the Tamil Nadu team had initially contacted Crime Branch Unit 5 for assistance Since the unit was occupied with another case the matter was handed over to the Navghar police The visiting team then coordinated with Navgharrsquos detection officer and both sides agreed to work togetherCCTV grabs of the Tamil Nadu police team whose visit triggered panic in the Mulund society PicsBy Special ArrangementBefore the joint operation began the four officers conducted a quiet recce of the locality to avoid alerting the accused But this attempt at secrecy inadvertently triggered panic among residents Mumbai Police confirmed that although the Tamil Nadu team had informed Navghar police before beginning inquiries they did not take local personnel along during the initial visit ldquoIf they had this misunderstanding would not have happenedrdquo a resident saidSonawane added ldquoThe team is still in Mumbai Their investigation is ongoing We have assured them full support I have spoken to their superiors in Tamil Nadu to understand the case The same team will be back on weekends to trace and arrest the accused Mumbai Police always supports other state police forcesrdquoDYSP Dharshika Natarajan confirmed that it was her team from Nanguneri that had been deployed to Mumbai for the investigation In a statement Tamil Nadu Police clarified ldquoWe had informed Mumbai Police about our arrival but the local team was slightly busy at the time our fourmember unit reached the location There was no miscommunication or confusion Our officers had received specific intel on the accused and given his history of absconding they moved quickly to try and apprehend him before he was alertedrdquo Officials added that the case is registered under the Tamil Nadu Public Property Prevention of Damage and Loss Act 1992When asked for further details Natarajan said ldquoThe case is still under investigation and highly sensitive We cannot disclose information about the case or the accused at this stagerdquo