In a case of mistaken identity, the Delhi Police wrongly identified a Noida-based journalist as a suspect in a criminal case.
Multiple videos of the incident involving the journalist and the police team went viral on social media platforms.
Following the confrontation, the police team wrote an apology letter.
In a statement, the Delhi Police apologised for misidentifying the journalist as a suspect.
According to the statement, a team from the Prem Nagar Police Station in outer Delhi, comprising a sub-inspector, a head constable and a constable, was investigating a case registered under sections 318(4) (cheating involving valuable security) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
"The team was tracking the location of the accused, identified as Rahul, a resident of Bahadurgarh, through his mobile phone," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said in the statement.
He added that the signal led the team to a petrol pump in Sector 38, Noida, where they found a man in a car with his wife, whose description matched the suspect.
"When the team asked him to produce an identity card, he reportedly refused and entered into an argument. The man later identified himself as Rahul Shah, a Noida-based journalist," the DCP said.
However, the journalist refuted the police's claim that he had refused to show identification.
"I was showing my Aadhaar card, PAN card, and my wife, who always carries her official ID, also presented it to the team. They were adamant and not listening to any of our pleas," Rahul Shah told PTI.
Upon realising their mistake, the police team apologised and returned to the police station.
"No misbehaviour or force was used during the incident," the officer added.
The confusion was due to similarities in facial features and the name, the DCP said, adding, "As soon as the team confirmed that the individual was not the accused, it expressed regret and disengaged from the interaction."
An internal note has been made regarding the incident, and no further action is being pursued.
Meanwhile, Rahul Shah issued a statement saying, "On June 19, while refueling at the Noida Sector 38A petrol pump, I was wrongfully apprehended by three individuals claiming to be officers from the Delhi Police. They were looking for a cyber criminal named 'Rahul' and believed that a name match was enough to drag me out of my car and forcefully put me into a private vehicle parked just a few metres away."
He further stated that both he and his wife showed their press IDs, Aadhaar cards and PAN cards, clearly proving that he was Rahul Shah and not the person the police were looking for.
"They forcefully ejected me from my car, holding me by my belt, without any proper verification," the statement read, adding that his wife, also a journalist, recorded a video of the incident to document the sequence of events.
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