Conmen play cops in Goa, target tourists, women | India Gazette

Conmen play cops in Goa, target tourists, women

India Gazette (IANS) Tuesday 8th May, 2012

When Ravikumar Prajapati, 48, from Karnataka was suddenly accosted by three authoritative sounding 'plainclothed' policemen in March this year and asked to accompany them to the nearest police station for carrying Rs. 3 million in cash, he did not question their genuineness.

Returning home after conducting a business transaction in Goa, Prajapati thought that he would be let off after establishing the source of the money. But he ended up being thrown out of the 'police' car, with his money robbed.

Police now believe Prajapati is just one of the dozens of victims of a 'fake police' gang, which essentially comprises conmen from Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa who habitually poach on tourists and women.

"They target women who wear gold ornaments and tourists. Invariably they pose as policemen showing fake identity cards and rob their victims," Deputy Inspector General of Police Ravinder Yadav told IANS.

While Prajapati was robbed and outsmarted by three conmen, in November last year, a local resident Ratnabai Polyekar from Sangolda, 10 km from here, was cheated by a smoothly executed old school 'sleight of the hand' trick.

"I was standing outside my house in the morning when two young people came to me and said there were robbers about and I should not be wearing gold on me.

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