New Delhi: The Delhi Police crime branch has arrested a 45-year-old woman for allegedly driving an SUV with forged diplomatic registration plates in high-security areas of the national capital, officials said on Friday, January 24.
The officials have described the case as crucial from the national security point of view ahead of the Republic Day celebrations, the Delhi Police said in a statement.
The accused, Ashma Begum, a resident of Guwahati, was reportedly sent to Russia as an Indian ambassador and even delivered keynote presentations at ceremonies in BRICS (an intergovernmental organisation comprising 10 countries, with India as one of the founding countries)
There are several videos and images of the woman attending foreign diplomatic events, with questions being raised on how she was allowed to attend the events if she was not an official ambassador.
Meanwhile, the police statement said the arrest was made following specific intelligence that a woman was frequently visiting various embassies and sensitive diplomatic zones using a vehicle with forged diplomatic registration plates.
A police team intercepted the SUV (Toyota Innova) on January 15 in the Vasant Vihar area. During a search of the vehicle, officers recovered another forged plate resembling those used by foreign missions.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said the woman initially claimed to be a representative of a foreign embassy. However, she could not name the mission or produce any valid diplomatic or ownership documents for the vehicle. She was taken to the Crime Branch office in Sunlight Colony for questioning.
During interrogation, the woman revealed that she had purchased the SUV from a foreign embassy in November 2024 but failed to get it registered in her name. To avoid police checking and move freely in restricted areas, she replaced the original plates with forged ones, the officer said.
The woman, a graduate, claimed to be serving as an all-India secretary of Republic Party of India (RPI) for the past four years. She also claimed that she worked as a consultant with a foreign embassy between 2023 and 2024, the DCP said.
She told the police that she has worked as a sports guide at the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya, and is currently involved in consultancy work for African students seeking admissions, the officer said.
Police have seized the SUV, two sets of forged plates, a mobile phone and sale documents of the vehicle. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway, the officer added.
(With PTI inputs)
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