Varanasi: A young man allegedly impersonating an officer of the Indian Army was apprehended by police during the recently concluded air show by the Indian Air Force in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, officials said on Monday.  

According to officials, the incident took place during the October 24 air show.

The suspect was moving around under tight security arrangements while falsely claiming to be a Captain in the Army. Police became alert after receiving information that a suspicious individual was roaming near the helipad located at Namo Ghat and introducing himself as a military officer, officials said.

Following the tip-off, police personnel immediately reached the spot and began questioning the individual. During preliminary inquiries and subsequent verification, authorities discovered that his claim of being an Army captain was false.

After establishing that he was not associated with the Indian Army, police registered a case against the accused, identified as Arpit Chaturvedi, under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and initiated a detailed investigation into the matter, officials said.

In a written complaint, Sub-Inspector Chandan Kumar, who is posted at Adampur Police Station, stated that he was deployed at Namo Ghat as part of the security arrangements for Air Show-2026. He was accompanied by Head Constable Hriday Narayan Maurya and Constable Mehboob Alam while carrying out security duties in the area.

During the course of their deployment, the police team received information that a young man was behaving suspiciously near the helipad at Namo Ghat.

Acting on this input, the police officers reached the location and detained the suspect for questioning.

When interrogated, the man introduced himself as Captain Arpit Chaturvedi and claimed that he was serving as an officer in the Indian Army. He repeated his claim before the police team and attempted to project himself as a military official. However, when officers carried out the necessary verification of his credentials and service details, they found that there was no evidence to support his assertion of being an Army captain.

Further investigation revealed that the accused was in fact Arpit Chaturvedi, a resident of Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh.

Following confirmation of his true identity, police registered Case No. 0189/2026 against him at Adampur Police Station. The case has been lodged under Sections 204 and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Further legal proceedings are underway.

(IANS)