Mumbai:
In what may come close to competing with the absurdity of Lady Gaga's headgears, a man donned a toupee stuffed with his innerwear. But it wasn't the style quotient he was aiming to score on, but a height test for a constable's job with the Mumbai police department.
In his desperation to join the police force, Jalgaon-based police candidate, Nilesh Ramlal Bari (28), packed his innerwear in a wig and put it on to gain some extra height. Bari, who is 165 cm tall, was falling 3 cm short of the benchmark to pass the height test for a constable's post. But his stratagem was ripped apart after a constable deputed at the recruitment camp sensed the fluff and got him arrested for cheating charges.
According to the police, last morning, Bari showed up at the recruitment camp at the Kalina police grounds for the physical tests.
He was one of the 3 lakh contenders vying for the 3,000 constable jobs with the Mumbai police, the recruitment drive for which began on November 9, and for which candidates from all across the state have been arriving in the city in batches every day.
Yesterday, Bari waited his turn in a queue at the recruitment campus since 7 in the morning. Around 10.30 am, when the constable on duty at desk no 14 finally called out for him, Bari mounted the wooden table beside the measurement scale, as all candidates are required to do. That's when the ruse unravelled.
Plumped up
"The constable posted on the spot suspected something amiss with Bari's hairstyle, and when he was getting off the table, the constable stopped him. He called his superiors and informed them about Bari's suspicious appearance," said Sub-inspector Atmaram Parab of Vakola police station.
The constable placed his hand on Bari's skull and realised that he was wearing a wig. When the officials asked Bari to remove his wig, they were surprised to find that the accused had stuffed his vest inside it. They turned him in at the Vakola police station where he was booked under Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.
Bari was produced before the Bandra metropolitan magistrate court, and was released on bail later.
"During interrogations, Bari confessed that he was desperately wanted this job but at 165 cm, he was falling short of passing the height test. The minimum height of candidates appearing for a constable's job should be 168 cm. By creating a false cavity, the accused reached the requisite height, but the alert constable caught his lie," Parab said.