26 March,2015 06:39 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
People going to Aarey Colony from the Marol side are both mystified and scared of this woman who poses as a cop and tries to stop vehicles late at night, only to shout at or attack passengers
If you see a woman in a police uniform standing in your way late at night, preventing you from entering Aarey Colony from the Marol side, don't stop your vehicle.
This woman has scared many locals by posing as a cop and asking vehicles to stop, only to shout at the passengers or hurl stones at them
For the past week, motorists and residents in the area have been baffled and frightened by this woman, who poses as a cop and stands in the middle of the road to stop vehicles only to speak gibberish and then shout at citizens or attack them with stones.
She stands in the middle of the road to block the path of vehicles, and when that fails, she can be seen writing something in her notebook. Many motorists halt when they see her do this, thinking she is noting their vehicle details
Such is the terror amongst locals that many have now started turning away the moment they spot her, preferring to go the extra miles and enter Aarey Colony through Goregaon instead. The local police have confirmed that she is not a cop, but several unsuspecting motorists were taken in by her uniform and halted when they saw her gesticulate.
Others saw her write something in her notebook which she always carries and suspected that she was noting down their vehicle details. But their confusion only deepens when they stop and ask her what the matter is. According to a few people, no one can understand what she says or what language she speaks in.
Many said that they tried to press her for information, she began to shout at them and allegedly even pelted stones at them.
Ghost?
While there are some who think the woman may be mentally unsound, there are even rumours that she might be a ghost. Aarey Colony is famously considered to be haunted, and among other ghost legends, there have been reports about a woman not this one walking on the deserted road in the dead of night, who stops vehicles to ask for a lift.
No one really knows who the fake policewoman is or what she does in the area so late at night, but a local resident told mid-day that the woman is mentally unsound and stays near the water pipeline in the vicinity. Not only is she causing great inconvenience to locals, but people also fear that her own safety is at risk, especially as the area is often isolated at night, and she is often seen there as late as 1 am.
Imran U, a local resident, said, "First of all, I was shocked to see a lady standing near the Aarey Milk Colony police check post on the Marol side at 1 am. I saw her shouting and thought she might be mentally unstable. At least there are police officials present at the check post who don't allow her to enter Aarey, which is even more deserted."
But even this can be a challenge for the cops, as the woman's usual haunt the Marol check post lies between the jurisdictions of the MIDC and Aarey police. While both branches are confused about who should deal with her, it is usually the Aarey police who are seen requesting the woman to go away. But she often slips into Aarey when they police are busy checking vehicles, creating chaos for them as well.
Cop speak
DCP Punjabrao Ugale (Zone XII) said, "It's a very important matter and I will immediately inform the senior police inspector from Aarey police station and ask him to look into the matter and solve it at the earliest."
