Fake cop held for cheating shopkeepers of money in Muktsar, Fazilka districts

A man impersonating a cop, who had been duping shopkeepers in Muktsar and Fazilka districts for the past few days, has finally been arrested. The accused, identified as Karnail Singh from Mansa district, has been remanded to two-day police custody.

He allegedly entered shops dressed in a white T-shirt with a police logo, khaki trousers and a matching turban, confidently asking for urgent cash. Claiming to be on duty and in an emergency, he assured shopkeepers he would transfer the amount online. Some believed him and fell victim to the fraud.

“Karnail is not associated with the police in any way. Apart from the incidents in Gidderbaha and Balluana, he has committed similar frauds earlier too,” said Gidderbaha DSP Avtar Singh.

A case under Sections 318(4) and 303(2) of the BNS has been registered at Gidderbaha police station.

In Gidderbaha, shopkeeper Gurwinder Singh became one of his victims.

“A man posing as a cop walked in on Saturday afternoon and asked for Rs 3,000, saying it was an emergency. He spoke so authoritatively and even named some cops. I didn’t suspect a thing,” said Gurwinder. A CCTV footage of the incident has since gone viral.

In Fazilka district’s Balluana village, shopkeeper Amir Chand handed over Rs 5,000 to the same man, who claimed a colleague’s child was being rushed to PGIMER, Chandigarh. “The man posing as a cop came to my shop recently, and disappeared the moment I gave him the money. I didn’t go to the police due to a bad past experience. I just shared the CCTV video on social media,” said Amir.

Two other shopkeepers in Abohar narrowly avoided falling for the same trick. “He talked like a real cop, but something felt off. We didn’t give him anything,” one of them said.

With the accused now in custody, the police are tracing his previous victims and trying to piece together the full extent of his con game, including how he managed to obtain a T-shirt with a police logo.