Pune: In a bold act of deception, a mother and daughter duo were arrested by the Lashkar Police for allegedly posing as an Indian Police Services (IPS) officer to rob a footwear shop on Mahatma Gandhi Road. The police recovered stolen items worth approximately ₹45,000, officials announced on Saturday.
The accused have been identified as Minaj Murtaza Shaikh (40) and her daughter, Riba Murtaza Shaikh (19). They both are residents of Kondhwa. The case came to light after Azam Iqrab Shaikh, the proprietor of the shop, lodged a complaint at the Lashkar Police Station.
According to the complaint, Azam Shaikh owns a footwear shop in the Lashkar area. The accused entered Azam Shaikh's shop on the evening of September 13. She was accompanied by her daughter, and they told the complainant they were going to make a purchase.
Inside the shop, Minaj purported to be an IPS officer and presented a forged police identity card. She then convinced the staff that she was on official duty and asked them to send the purchased items via a worker to the police commissioner’s office. She promised to pay for them later. However, she and her daughter fled without paying.
Following the complaint, the Detection Branch (DB) of Lashkar Police Station examined CCTV footage from the area. They tracked down the suspects and arrested them. The recovered items include footwear and imitation jewellery worth around ₹45,000. The police confirmed that both Minaj and Riba have prior criminal records and are under investigation for additional offences. Lashkar Police are investigating the matter further.
