Ahmedabad, May 23 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested a 27-year-old man accused of impersonating a Gujarat Police Sub-Inspector on dating and matrimonial platforms by using AI-generated photographs and police insignia to allegedly deceive women into relationships, obtain money and other assistance from them.

The Crime Branch said on Friday that the accused, Himanshu alias Rocky Panchal, is originally from Udaipur in Rajasthan and was staying in the Sabarmati area of Ahmedabad.

He was arrested in connection with complaints registered at Navrangpura and Naroda police stations.

Police said the accused used online applications and platforms, including Shaadi.com, Jeevansathi, Bumble, Hinge and other online dating and matrimonial services to contact women while falsely claiming to be a Police Sub-Inspector posted in the Crime Branch’s Cyber Security department.

Investigators said the accused adopted the name “Rocky Panchal” while interacting with women online.

“The accused used AI technology to create photographs of himself in the police uniform and uploaded them as profile pictures on social media and dating applications. To strengthen the deception, he allegedly used Canva, stamp maker and signature maker applications to prepare forged identity cards bearing the names ‘Government of India’ and ‘Crime Branch Cyber Security’,” a senior police official told IANS.

Police said he also purchased Gujarat Police-related accessories, including logos, belts, badges, caps, monograms and stickers bearing the Ashoka emblem, from stores and kept them with his belongings to convince women that he was a serving police officer.

“During the last around six months, he established romantic relationships with more than 20 women by falsely promising marriage, emotionally manipulating them with false excuses and obtaining financial benefits from them,” officials said.

Police also said the accused habitually targeted young women and divorced women through online dating and matrimonial platforms for “cheating, false identity, breach of trust, physical exploitation and financial gain”.

During the raid and arrest operation, police seized a mobile phone, cash amounting to Rs 40,000, a forged identity card carrying photographs in police uniform, logos, a red police belt, badges and Ashoka emblem stickers.

Investigators said the accused had a previous criminal case registered against him at Nala Sopara police station in Mumbai in 2025.

According to the police, the accused had contacted a woman residing in Mumbai’s Virar through a dating application, falsely introduced himself as a police officer for marriage, and stayed with her in a hotel.

A case of rape and impersonation was registered against him in Mumbai, in which he was arrested and later released on bail.

“After securing bail in the Mumbai case, the accused contacted a woman from New Vadaj in Ahmedabad through Instagram and allegedly took Rs 50,000 from her by claiming that he had incurred expenses in securing bail,” officials said.

Police said he also received financial assistance from her and travelled with her to Mumbai and Goa.

In another case uncovered during the investigation, police said the accused contacted a woman living in Naroda around four months ago, obtained a SIM card from her and allegedly used her bank account after promising marriage.

Police said he obtained nearly Rs 1.8 lakh from her under different pretexts. A complaint regarding the incident has been registered at the Naroda police station.

Investigators also found that the accused contacted a woman residing in Navrangpura through the Bumble application and allegedly took Rs 79,700 from her after claiming that he was short of money for constructing a house.

According to the police, the accused later again demanded money, claiming he urgently needed to purchase a mobile phone for the police department.

The woman reportedly became suspicious, verified his claims, and discovered that he was not a police officer before lodging a complaint at the Navrangpura police station.

Police also added that the accused contacted a woman from Ghatlodia through the Hinge application and called her to meet at Hotel Hillock, where he allegedly demanded money from her.

However, the woman became suspicious and did not give him any money.

The Crime Branch investigation also revealed that after being asked to vacate a rented house, the accused contacted a woman from Dabhan village in Kheda district and told her that he and his mother required temporary accommodation.

Police said he stayed at their residence for around three months.

Officials added that the accused had also developed online relationships with women from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh and Udaipur in Rajasthan through online applications.

The Crime Branch said offences connected to the case have been detected under Sections 204, 205 and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

–IANS

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