Exclusive | Police's well-intentioned move backfires: Yeh drama band karo!

Members of an NGO based in Bhiwandi have been spotted in Mumbai and nearby districts wearing discarded police uniforms adorned with lanyards belts nameplates and shoulder badges displaying the name lsquoBhatke Bahurupi Samajrsquo demanding money without revealing their true identitiesmdashuntil caught by vigilant citizens Nearly 2000 impersonators associated with this NGO operate across several Indian states including Punjab Madhya Pradesh Uttar Pradesh Gujarat and various districts of MaharashtraThe president of this NGO Karannath Singh Vyas hails from Dewas district in Madhya Pradesh These impersonators enter high street markets industrial estates residential complexes and business hubs often causing confusion among security guards who mistake them for policemen Exploiting this confusion they enter gated premises and deceive people in the name of the local police stationRecently such incidents were reported in south Mumbai where impersonators duped residents of the Gobind Mahal building in Marine Drive by claiming to organise programs for underprivileged children on behalf of the Marine Drive police station However upon inquiry it was revealed that they were fraudsters seeking donationsThe other artistes impersonating the cops an impersonator who was caught at Vakola in MumbaildquoThe accused told the complainant Mukesh Dinanath Chaube who is the society manager at the building that they have arranged a program for poor and needy kids at the Marine Drive Police station on March 25 for which they are seeking donations Chaube allowed the khakiclad duo to enter the society premises On the first floor they met a resident Mitesh Dave who gave them R1000 When Dave asked for their identity card the duo escapedrdquo said an officer attached to Marine Drive police stationThe victim immediately contacted Marine Drive police station to know if any such program has been organised When Dave learned that he has been cheated he asked the manager to register an FIR The Mumbai police got alarmed and senior officials immediately formed several teams to trace the accused duoThe handpicked officers from the south region of Mumbai police swiftly traced the whereabouts of the accused duo who were later identified as Dashrath Dipanath Vyas 24 and Ratannath Kalunath Bamania 26 Both of them are members of the NGO which was registered in February 2020 in Thane districtConfuse them for copsThough the NGO claims to request people to extend monetary support for the social cause Marine Drive police booked two members for cheating and impersonationThis is not the only case last week two khakiclad impersonators were also seen roaming in the industrial estate of Vasai demanding money on the occasion of HolildquoThey were wearing khaki uniforms so we naturally get the impression that they are police officers When they opened the gate I saw them in the CCTV footage I was perplexed to see two cops entering my office I wondered what was wrong When they rang the doorbell they asked for donationsrdquo said a businessman Pankaj Jain having a factory at an industrial estate in VasaildquoI was curious to know if they were cops When I asked them they said they were not police but belonged to an NGO and showed me its catalogue They also told me that they needed donations for the wellbeing of povertystricken children whose NGO has been imparting them free primarystandard educationrdquo Jain saidAfter Jain started to inquire about the duo he received a series of messages doing rounds in the WhatsApp groups ldquoThe messages are like lsquochanda mangne aate hainrsquo lsquothey will come asking for money for donations for food for kids Holi or Diwali functionsrsquo lsquothey pretend to be police but they call themselves bahurupi old tradition lsquoregularly coming in Vasai east Dhumal Nagar for the last four yearsrsquordquo he addedA hairstylist from Santa Cruz East told midday that one person wearing a Khaki uniform had walked to his saloon a couple of months ago ldquoHe was wearing a khaki uniform I thought he was a policeman He requested me for donation as per my capacity So I donated him R30rdquo said the hairstylist Sources at Vakola police station reported that they apprehended a khakiclad person seeking donations from shopkeepers in the Vakola area After questioning the individual was releasedBahurupi KalakarlsquoBahurupi kalakarsrsquo are street performers who don different dresses and uniforms to pose as advocates doctors police priests etc to entertain people But before they start any street play they need to first identify themselves and clarify that they are only lsquoenactingrsquo Karan Singh Vyas president of the NGO Bhatke Bahurupi Samaj Samajik Sanstha said ldquoWe provide free education to underprivileged children mostly rag pickers and beggars living in slums We have nearly 60 students aged 5 to 10 years whom we educate up to the fifth standard in our Bhiwandi school Later they continue their education in another school in AtgaonrdquoldquoI am illiterate but have been educating these students Despite not attending school myself I facilitate education for these kidsrdquo he addedExplaining the khaki uniforms worn by NGO members Vyas said ldquoThese are not police uniforms The NGOrsquos name is displayed on the belt and shoulder badge We obtain discarded uniforms from police colonies altering them for our userdquoldquoThe uniforms may be tattered and discoloured but they serve our purpose Our workers wear these altered uniforms along with distinctive badges to differentiate themselvesrdquo he explainedldquoWe do not pay salaries to our workers Instead we provide education to their children Each member earns up to R9000 per month for household expenses Those whose children attend our school contribute a nominal amount to the NGOrdquo he concludedThe senior inspector of Marine Drive police station Nilesh Bagul said ldquoThey are artiste who can wear khaki but not the complete police uniform These individuals can showcase their artistry provided they obtain prior permission from a local police station Such practices are quite common in rural areas but in Mumbai they usually canrsquot get permission or else residents will be annoyedrdquoldquoIn this case the artistes had not obtained permission from us Secondly if they claim to have received R1000 in cash for their performance it will not hold weight as people generally give hardly R100 or so if they appreciate the performancerdquo Bagul addedMar 25Day impersonators were asking donations in south Mumbai society