Tejas Navale
Pune, May 19, 2025: The military intelligence officials apprehended a man wearing an Indian Air Force (IAF) uniform in Pune on Sunday. The individual, suspected of impersonating Air Force personnel, was then handed over to the Kharadi Police, who later placed him under arrest. Authorities have seized two IAF T-shirts, shoes, official-looking badges, and a jerkin from the accused.
The accused man has been identified as Gauravkumar Dineshkumar, a 25-year-old originally from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. He was residing alone at Varad Vinayak Apartment in Thite Vasti, Kharadi. Police sources revealed that upon raiding his residence, they discovered additional paraphernalia resembling IAF gear and other suspicious material.
Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Chavan of Kharadi Police Station confirmed that Gaurav had confessed to burning his Air Force uniform about a month ago. The police are probing deeper into why he was wearing the uniform and whether he used it to commit fraud or deceive civilians under false pretences.
The case was registered against him based on a complaint filed by Police Constable Ramdas Palve. According to initial reports, the accused had not only donned the uniform in public but also circulated his photographs dressed as an Air Force officer on social media platforms. This drew the attention of military intelligence, who were tipped off that the man was working at a local restaurant in the Kharadi area while pretending to be an IAF serviceman.
Following this lead, officials from the intelligence unit coordinated with local police and laid a strategic trap to detain him. Gaurav Kumar, who was living in Pune without family, was caught red-handed.
The arrest has opened a Pandora’s box of concerns. In a raid, a fake identity card was retrieved by police from his apartment, and his mobile phone reportedly contains multiple photographs taken with fighter jets and in Air Force-restricted areas. Investigators are now trying to ascertain how he gained access to these sensitive zones and whether there are more people involved in the act.
Authorities are also trying to determine the source of the uniform and other military items. Further investigation is underway in this regard.
