Fake DSP, constable arrested

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police arrested two persons for impersonating police officers and seized 386 counterfeit Rs 500 notes from them, a senior official said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Manas Ranjan Senapati (26) and Ashis Swain (23), were caught during a routine night patrol by Saheed Nagar police in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. According to Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh, the two were travelling in a car when they were stopped for checking.

While Senapati falsely claimed to be a probationary Odisha Police Service (OPS) officer of DSP rank, Swain posed as a probationary constable, he said.

Further investigation revealed that they had been using fake police uniforms, forged identity cards, and manipulated photographs to appear as genuine officers and deceive people. “We are investigating the case from two different angles—one related to cheating by impersonation and another concerning a fake currency racket,” said Singh.

Police are now probing the source of the counterfeit currency and whether more people are involved in the scam.