Buy cop badges, uniforms and stars on Mumbai streets

Written By Imran Fazal | Updated:

Want Maharashtra Police badge, whistle, cap, sticker, boots and other accessories? Come to Vasai, and one can find the police accessories being sold on the roadside. A street side stall at Vasai has stocked pairs of leather boots (worn by cops), belts, caps, badges, stickers bearing the insignia of the Maharashtra Police and other accessories.
For Rs500, one can buy the woolen cap worn by constables, for Rs30 a police badge, for Rs50 a piece of police sticker can be purchased. A pair of socks worn by the constables is being sold at around Rs300 as it is made of pure wool. With the sticker, one can fix it on the windshield of any vehicle and pass through any toll booth; without paying any taxes, while the average motorist, has to shell out toll to use the Mumbai Ahmedabad National Highway No8.
The roadside stall is located off the NH8 and anyone can buy the police accessories. Shockingly, the seller has stock of yards of khaki uniform which can be purchased; and the person can get it stitched from any tailor, as per his measurements and with all the accessories; he can walk away as a policeman and fool the public.
Even whistles used by the policemen can be purchased at Rs70 a piece, as also the stars which adorns the policeman's uniform. Each star costs around Rs100 a piece as it is made of pure steel that does not rust.
A Vasai police officer, he said such accessories are available only from the Maharashtra Police Academy, Nashik, from where the trainee policemen graduates, and the uniforms are stitched from a Grant Road tailor. Such accessories are not put up for sale as it is not available for public purchase.
"We will soon track the seller and he can be booked for forgery and cheating as it is illegal to sell such products which is related to the government and it is illegal to impersonate a cop," said Shriniwas Ghadge, DySp, Vasai Circle.
The Thane Rural district since the past few months witnessed a few cases where fake cops were arrested for masquerading as the real ones in Jawhar,Vasai and Dahanu.