'Partners in crime' literally: Delhi's fake-cop couple cheats innocents, only to be fooled by fate & caught

In Delhi’s Patparganj, a bizarre case of deception unfolded when a husband-and-wife duo, posing as a constable and a home guard, were apprehended by real officers while on patrol. Their audacious act, carried out daily on a grey scooter, was a desperate attempt at survival turned into a tale of fraud.

Wearing crisp khaki uniforms and carrying forged identification cards, Sonu Kumar (30) and his wife Aradhana (36) had been masquerading as law enforcers for weeks. Their scheme, police said, was simple yet brazen, stop unsuspecting citizens under the pretext of document checks, intimidate them, and extort money.

But their luck ran out on the evening of 20 August. According to officials, around 7.30 pm, two head constables on picket duty outside a mall grew suspicious when they noticed the couple, helmetless, riding through the area in full uniform. Sonu’s attire bore authentic-looking Delhi Police badges, a name tag, and even a lanyard, while Aradhana sat pillion in a home guard uniform, equally adorned with badges.


When asked for identity cards, Sonu presented a Delhi home guard ID card declaring him a constable, while Aradhana displayed a similar one. However, their nervous demeanour quickly betrayed them. Upon closer interrogation, they confessed that both IDs were fake, purchased from a man who had promised them jobs in the police and the home guard.

As per TOI, Sonu had paid Rs 36,000 and Aradhana Rs 50,000 to the fraudster, identified as Narender Pal. In return, they received forged identity cards and were instructed to procure uniforms. But within weeks, the man disappeared, leaving them cheated and unemployed, except now, with a set of police uniforms in their possession.

Instead of reporting the scam, the couple decided to exploit their new appearance. Their plan: to impersonate officers and swindle ordinary citizens. A search of their residence even led to the discovery of another home guard uniform and a laptop with videos of the couple in full attire, deliberately captured near police stations to pass themselves off as genuine personnel.

Sonu, a graduate who once worked as a gym trainer, had recently lost his job, while Aradhana managed their household. The duo, residents of Tukmeerpur, admitted that desperation drove them to crime.

They have since been arrested by a team from Patparganj Industrial Area police station. Authorities have launched an investigation to track down Narender Pal, the man alleged to have conned them in the first place.

Inputs from TOI