Man held for cheating people by impersonating Naval officer

The accused, Manish Arisela, was arrested from Mumbai on September 10 after one of the victims approached police, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Vinayak Vast. Police also seized a bogus identity card with "Indian Navy captain" written on it from the accused.

A 25-year-old man has been arrested by the Navi Mumbai police for allegedly posing as a Naval officer and cheating many people of lakhs under the pretext of selling them goods at cheaper rates by procuring them from naval canteens, an officer said on Tuesday. The accused, Manish Arisela, was arrested from Mumbai on September 10 after one of the victims approached police, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Vinayak Vast.

Police also seized a bogus identity card with "Indian Navy captain" written on it from the accused. During search of his house, police recovered several bogus IDs, including one in the name of Admiral of the Indian Navy, he said.

Police also found fake IDs of Defence ministry and the Navy's Western Naval Command, and bogus letters of the Navy's service appointment board and automobile department. A bogus letter in the name of Navi Mumbai police commissioner providing security to Arisela was also seized, the police officer said.

The accused is a class 12 pass out and owing to his brief stint at a call centre is fluent in spoken English, he said. His modus operandi was to take money from gullible victims by promising them various Naval canteen items at cheaper rates, a police official said, adding that the accused would later switch off his mobile phone.