College teacher held for impersonating minister

LUCKNOW: A college teacher who was posing as a minister and asking policemen to release some criminals was arrested here, the police said on Wednesday.

According to the police, Ravikant, a lecturer in a private engineering college in the Mohanlalganj locality of the Uttar Pradesh capital, was posing as Urban Development Minister Nakul Dubey, and had phoned two senior police officials seeking the release of some people in police custody.

"Ravikant called up the Cantonment police station inspector and said that he is Nakul Dubey, the urban development minister. He told the inspector to release some people arrested in connection with a criminal case," Lucknow police chief Akhil Kumar said, adding that Ravikant had also called him for the same purpose.

"I received the call on Aug 30 and immediately talked to the minister. However, he expressed surprise over the issue and clarified that he did not call any police official," added Kumar.

Ravikant was arrested on Tuesday night after the police traced the calls.