Fake police in Gandhinagar strike it rich during World Cup semis

On one hand when police were on toes at some of city's sensitive check points trying to ensure safety of the cricket-frenzy revellers, duplicate ones in fake fatigues were busy prowling at the other end trying to encash on revellers' cricket fever and the general carefree mood.

As many as eight different incidents have been reported from the city wherein different gangs of fake cops made good their escape with jewellery worth Rs4.37 lakh from seven different police station areas. Ironically, almost every victim was targeted from near the temples in the morning hours or in late evening.

Meanwhile, city police have buckled up to combat with the new threat to their identity and started to smoke the impostors out. However, their all-out efforts are yet to be crowned with success. So far they have arrested two members from these gangs, and many more still at large.

Police suspect that these are gangs that may have migrated to the city and teams of cops have already been sent to their places of origin to trace them out. "They commit a crime in one city and immediately escape from that spot on bikes, giving no time to the victim to react," said deputy commissioner of police, zone 1, Rajiv Ranjan Bhagat while talking to DNA. Bhagat, however, hopes that they will soon be caught in the real cops' dragnets.