KOCHI: A team from the Ernakulam Town North police station arrested a young man from Ernakulam Town railway station on Monday, for posing as a Navy officer. The accused is Sooraj Praveen, 18, of Vellarada in Thiruvananthapuram and residing at a lodge on St Benedict Road in Ernakulam North. He has been charged under the BNS for forgery, wearing the garb or carrying tokens used by uniformed personnel, and impersonating a public servant.
The youth had been masquerading as an Indian Navy officer, using a fake identity card, cap bearing the Navy emblem, and a uniform with the rank of lieutenant, the officer said.
The lodge staff grew suspicious of his behaviour and checked his room. After discovering the uniform, they alerted the police. The forgery was not for financial gain, but was an act of attention-seeking, the officer said.