The Mumbai crime branch on Friday arrested a mimicry artist who impersonated senior Maharashtra politicians and promised jobs to over a dozen aspirants.
According to the police, Rahul Gade (24), who hails from Baramati district of Maharashtra, employed a unique modus operandi. Gade, while talking to the job seekers over the phone, used to pose as senior Maharashtra leaders by mimicking their voices and assuring these aspirants a job at the secretariat.
Gade, who in the past performed gigs at various political functions held in different villages across the State, can mimic Maharashtra leaders like Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar, Ramdas Athawale and even late Bal Thackeray and Gopinath Munde. He also drove in a vehicle fitted with revolving light to impress his clients, the police said.
On 12 August, a Pune-based resident lodged a complaint with the Mumbai police claiming that he was duped by Gade who promised him a job as a Talhati in Pune.
“The accused spoke to the complainant over five to six times over the phone. During these calls, he mimicked the voices of various political leaders thereby gaining the confidence of the victim. He then asked the complainant to meet him at the State secretariat on August 12 and took Rs. 3.5 lakhs from him to get him the job. He asked him to wait outside one of the gates of the building. He then drove inside the secretariat in his vehicle and never returned,” property cell senior police inspector Nandkumar Gopale told The Hindu.
“The victim waited at the gate for a couple of hours. He even tried calling the accused but his phone was not reachable. At last when the complainant made inquires about Gade at the secretariat no one knew about him,” Mr. Gopale added. The police suspect that he had duped over a dozen of people and took around five lakhs from each of these aspirants.
Gade was produced at a holiday court here on Saturday and remanded to police custody until August 25.
