A 44-year-old man, who was masquerading as a detective with the Central Crime Bureau (CCB), was nabbed by the Tilaknagar police on Saturday when he threatened a sub-inspector who confronted him.
The accused Pathiraj, a resident of Machohalli on Magadi Road and a native of Kanakapura, was taken to the police station for interrogation later, where he confessed. He was also known by many other names, including Padmanabha, Rajesh and Sundar, and would roam the city posing as a CCB officer in civil clothes.
According to police, he had a bike with a police sticker and would carry a lathi to try and impersonate a police officer attached to the CCB. He would visit local police stations and claim to be deputed to collect intelligence at the police station level. Pathiraj was introduced to a home guard named Manjunath two years ago as a sub inspector. The police said Pathiraj had borrowed Rs. 15,000 from Manjunath.
When Pathiraj did not return the money, the home guard notified Tilaknagar sub inspector Ravi Kiran who called him (Pathiraj). The conman then abused the police officer and was subsequently caught in a trap laid for him at Jayanagar 9th Block. He confessed to having extorted money from restaurants, shops and other commercial establishments.
A case was registered against Pathiraj and further investigations are underway.
