A Show So Grand It Raised Suspicion
In Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur, a 21-year-old's elaborate masquerade was bold enough to leave even senior officials stunned. His father works as an officer in the horticulture department and his mother is a school teacher, but the young man sat no exam and took no training — he simply went around presenting himself as a Brigadier in the Indian Army. Two bouncers shadowed him wherever he went, and he flaunted his supposed rank to everyone he met. For several days police had been receiving tip-offs about him, and eventually the act unravelled.
The Man Behind the Uniform: Aryan Verma
The accused has been identified as Aryan Verma. He was frequently spotted in a brigadier's ceremonial dress, projecting himself as a very high-ranking military officer and lording it over those around him. Reports kept reaching the police that he was openly moving about in uniform and impersonating a senior army officer.
A Trap Laid With Army Veterans
Rather than picking him up directly, police drew up a careful plan in coordination with army ex-servicemen. To avoid arousing his suspicion, officers approached him posing as ordinary citizens and invited him to deliver a motivational speech to young candidates preparing for recruitment examinations. The event was arranged at the Shaheed Museum in the cantonment area.
On Friday morning, the moment Aryan arrived at the venue dressed in a brigadier's uniform, the waiting officers moved in and seized him. A fake ID and the brigadier's uniform were recovered from him. A case has been registered against the accused at the Sadar Bazar police station and the matter is under investigation.
The SUV, Military Flags and Fake Commandos
According to officials, Verma had turned up in an SUV (a Harrier) fitted with the military stars and flags reserved for senior officers. He was accompanied by two bouncers whom he described as National Security Guard (NSG) commandos. His claim was that, being a high-profile military officer, he had been assigned commandos for his protection.
A search also turned up an identity card bearing the stamp of the Dean of the Armed Forces Medical College, which investigators suspect is forged. In addition, an army regimental cane and a fake pistol were seized from his possession.
Bareilly's Army Intelligence Takes Charge
The investigation has now been taken over by the Army Intelligence team from Bareilly, which is questioning the accused. The team is trying to establish his real motive behind such an elaborate impersonation — when and where he carried out the act, how the forged documents and uniform reached him, and whether anyone else was involved.
Superintendent of Police Saurabh Dixit said army officers are currently interrogating Verma, and once the army completes its inquiry, he will be handed over to police custody. In a striking twist, this self-styled brigadier was actually living in Delhi and preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), an exam he had reportedly failed several times.
