UP: FIR filed against man for threatening police officials

Ghaziabad, Nov 20 (PTI) An FIR has been registered against a man for allegedly mounting pressure and threatening the staff of a deputy commissioner of police in Ghaziabad after posing as a retired IPS officer, officials said Wednesday.

The complaint was lodged by DCP Trans Hindon's Public Relations Officer (PRO) Neeraj Rathore at the local police station after the impersonator, identified as Anil Katiyal, made threatening calls to him, they said.

Katiyal contacted him on November 14 using his official mobile number, claiming to be a retired IPS officer of the 1979 batch from the Manipur cadre, Rathora said in his complaint.

"He introduced himself as an advisor currently posted at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Katiyal claimed that a false case had been filed against a man named Vinod Kapoor, who had been arrested on October 1 from Haryana by the Indirapuram police of Ghaziabad," he said.

DCP Trans Hindan, Nimish Patil, said that during the phone call, Katiyal also threatened Rathore, claiming he would get an FIR registered against the Indirapuram police under Section 140(1) (Kidnapping or abducting in order to murder or for ransom) of the BNS, and that the police officers involved would spend their lives behind bars.

A case had already been registered against Kapoor by the Indirapuram police for fraud and criminal intimidation. Katiyal allegedly exerted pressure on Rathore to end proceedings against Kapoor, he said.

However, the police lodged an FIR against Katiyal and Kapoor under sections 308 (extortion), 221 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 204 (personating a public servant), and 318 (cheating) of the BNS, he said.

Patil added that Kapoor, who is the accused in the Indirapuram police case, had also made similar threats to the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Pramod Hudda, at Indirapuram police station.

Further investigation revealed that Katiyal was not a retired IPS officer and was not affiliated with the Ministry of Home Affairs, as he had claimed, the officer said.

DCP Patil said that after verifying Katiyal's credentials, it was clear that he had been impersonating an official and further investigation into the matter is ongoing. PTI COR KIS RT RT