Maharastra Police: Mumbai: Fake Cops: मुंबई पुलिस ने पकड़ी फर्जी पुलिसवालें बनाने की फैक्ट्री...

Police Academy: Fake it or leave it • Police uniforms, ID cards, handcuffs... murder accused Royal Edward Sequeira operated a well-equipped school that churned out fake cops • Showed ‘students’ how cops spoke, dressed, walked, and where they ate; once ready, they were used for extortion, robbery, even murder Nazia Sayed Posted On Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 02:55:04 AM His students called him Roy. They always found him immaculately dressed, and marveled at the effort he put in to look every inch a senior police officer. They recalled a day when he pulled up one among them for not shaving - "Cops never look shabby" - he had shouted at him.

Thirty-two-year-old Royal Edward Sequeira was many things to many people, but it’s this former police informer turned fake cop's factory that churned out more fake policemen that has stunned even the battle-hardened officers. He groomed his 'students', taught them how cops spoke and walked, showed them places where they ate, made them dress like policemen... and once ready, used them for extortion, robbery and even murders. Sequeira has more than 50 cases registered against him. He was arrested around 10 days ago, along with Mohammad Mehboob Abdul Hamid Shaikh (27), Deepak Tersu Singh (26) and Anuj Chougule (22), while on their way to rob a jeweller in Kurla. Interrogation revealed Sequeira's training school was a professional affair. He selected students, such as Shaikh, Singh and Chougule, only when he was convinced of their 'credentials'. In this case, he had shared a prison cell with Chougule, who in turn introduced him to history sheeters Shaikh and Singh. Crime Branch sources said not all qualified to learn police techniques from Sequeira. There were boxes to tick, such as the trainee's built and voice, basic education was a must to make sure they picked up legal terms, their command over Marathi, and above all, the trainees must have the confidence to pull off the cop act. There was a test too, which determined whether the students were ready for the actual thing. Sequeira would send them on a test run, handing out tasks such as conning women out of their jewellery, or extorting money from hoteliers posing as cops. The successful lads would be drafted in the gang. The others not found up to the mark were not discarded; they were used for robberies, extortion and kidnapping. On his part, he ensured that his students never fell short of equipment. Cops have recovered police uniforms, ID cards and even handcuffs from the gang's hideout in Vasai.

Sequeira’s Murky past Senior Inspector Praful Bhosle (Crime Branch Unit 5) said, “Sequeira has been handed over to Mahabaleshwar police in a murder case, but his interrogation has given us a few leads that we are following. We recovered a photograph of Roy, which showed him wearing a police uniform, and a fake police ID card bearing name of Vijay Ganesh Pawar. A fake driving license was seized from Chougule, apart from weapons.” Joint Commissioner of Police Himanshu Roy said, “We are investigating whether Sequeira and his gang were involved in the recent cases of fake cops robbing women of their jewellery. His arrest is a huge breakthrough.” Know the cops Fake cops target evening walkers, especially women, considering them soft targets. In most cases, the walkers were approached by a couple of men, who would identify themselves as policemen. Saying a murder had taken place in the area, the conmen would ask the women for their jewellery, asking them to collect it from the police station while returning home. In most cases, the unsuspecting victims would comply. DCP Mahesh Patil (Zone 11) said, “Always insist on the ID card, but don’t just stop at that. Store the number of your local police station in your phone book, and call up to ask whether such drive is on. Raise an alarm if the robbers use force.”