A forged army ID, a dummy pistol and 2 bouncers: How 'fake Brigadier' Aryan Verma tricked people

AShocking caseful of personation has emerged from Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur where a 21-year-old adult male went around the ithiel town in military machine uniform, claiming to be a Brigadier. He was detained by the Army personnel on Friday following a sting operation at the Shaheed Museum in Shahjahanpur Cantonment.The accused has been identified as Aryan Verma who was under the army radar for nearly two months after they received inputs about him being frequently seen wearing the ceremonial dress of a Brigadier and projecting himself as a high-ranking officer.Two bouncers passed off as NSG commandosVerma had a carefully detailed plan to complete the impersonation as he hired two bouncers and went around introducing them as National Security Guard (NSG) commandos, HT reported earlier. He reportedly claimed to have been provided with special security cover and projected the image of a high-profile military officer.Also read: 5 IAF personnel killed in Jorhat AN-32 plane crash, inquiry orderedHe also had a forged identity card purportedly bearing the seal of the dean of the Armed Forces Medical College. An Army regimental cane and a fake pistol were also seized from his possession.How he was caughtAs the Army had been tracking him for a couple of months, a trap was laid to catch him red-handed. Army officials contacted him while posing as civilians and invited him to deliver a motivational speech to young candidates preparing for recruitment examinations. The event was purportedly scheduled at the Shaheed Museum located within the Cantonment area.Also read: Iran 'booby-traps' uranium sites, lays mines as US seeks handover in peace deal: ReportAs expected, Verma arrived at the venue on Friday morning dressed in military uniform in tune with his impersonated identity and was travelling in an SUV (Harrier) bearing military stars and flags associated with senior officers, officials said.Army personnel detained him immediately upon his arrival. During the operation, officials also recovered a fake government identity card from his driver.An Army Intelligence team from Bareilly has now taken over the investigation and is questioning the accused to ascertain the motive for the alleged impersonation, while the extent of the impersonation, the source of the forged documents and uniform are also under probe.Superintendent of police Saurabh Dixit said Army authorities were currently interrogating Verma.Upon recovering documents from Verma's possession, the authorities found out that he was 21-years-old and had been staying in Delhi. He had been preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), entrance exams for medical studies, and had allegedly failed the test multiple times.Verma, his associates, and the recovered items have been handed over to the Sadar police station in Shahjahanpur for further investigation and legal action.The army is coordinating with local police in the matter.