BENGALURU: For years, couples seeking a quiet moment in their cars near parks and lakes faced an unexpected menace: An impostor in khaki, posing as a cop, threatening to book them for ‘public indecency’ and extorting money.
After multiple complaints, Jayanagar police launched a hunt for the fraudster tarnishing their reputation. Their efforts paid off when they nabbed Asif Khan alias Pisto, 42, a Ganganagar resident with a long history of deception. Khan, a failed 10th grader and part-time autorickshaw driver, had been running his con for 15 years, with 19 victims filing cases against him. Previously arrested in 2018, he was back at it, targeting unsuspecting couples.
According to police, Khan targeted couples spending their private time in their vehicles near public parks or other places on the roadside. He would introduce himself as a cop, and threaten to book a case for indulging in obscene acts in a public place, blackmailing them for money.
He robbed a 41-year-old private firm employee when he was sitting in his car with his female colleague near RV Metro Station at Jayanagar on March 5. A bike-borne Khan approached the couple and threatened them. He took the man on his bike to a place and robbed him of his 12-gram gold chain and a 5-gram finger ring. Later, he took him to an ATM kiosk and made him withdraw Rs 10,000.
The victim filed a complaint on the same night. Similarly, he robbed another couple on March 9. Police detected three cases, including one registered last year. Around 80 grams of gold was recovered from him, and an investigation is in progress to recover more money. Those, who lost their money to the miscreant, are requested to approach Jayanagar police or the nearest police station and lodge a complaint.
With Khan behind bars, couples can breathe easy, with the fake cop not ruining romantic evenings for now!
