Cops apologise for wrongly identifying journalist as suspect in criminal case

In a case of mistaken identity, a Noida-based journalist was wrongfully apprehended by a team of Delhi Police officers who believed he was a wanted cybercrime suspect. The incident, which occurred on June 19 at a petrol pump in Sector 38-A, Noida, was caught on camera and widely circulated on social media, prompting strong criticism and raising questions over police procedures.

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The journalist, Rahul Shah, was refueling his car when he was allegedly approached by three officers — a sub-inspector, a head constable and a constable — from the Prem Nagar police station in outer Delhi.

According to a statement by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam, the team was investigating a case registered under Sections 318(4) (cheating involving valuable security) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The officers claimed they were tracking a suspect named Rahul, a resident of Bahadurgarh, using mobile location data, which led them to the petrol pump where Shah was found inside his vehicle with his wife.

“His appearance and name matched the suspect. When asked to produce ID, he reportedly refused and argued with the team,” DCP Gautam said in the statement.

However, Shah strongly refuted these claims. Speaking to a news agency, he said, “I was showing my Aadhaar and PAN cards. My wife also showed her official ID. Despite this, they refused to listen and forcibly tried to drag me out of my car.”

In his statement, Shah alleged that the officers held him by the belt and attempted to push him into a private vehicle without verifying his identity.

“I was wrongfully apprehended by three individuals who claimed to be officers from the Delhi Police. They were looking for a criminal named ‘Rahul’ and believed that a name match was enough to drag me out of my car and forcefully put me in a private vehicle parked just a couple meters away,” he said, adding that his wife, who is also a journalist, captured videos of the incident.

The Delhi Police later issued a formal apology, admitting to the error and stating that no force was used during the encounter. “As soon as it was confirmed that he was not the accused, the team expressed regret and disengaged,” the DCP said, attributing the mix-up to similarities in the suspect’s name and description.

An internal note has been made about the incident, and no further action is being taken against the officers involved, according to police sources.