NEW DELHI: A 45-year-old woman has been arrested by the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch for allegedly using a forged foreign embassy number plate on an Innova car and moving freely through high-security diplomatic zones of the national capital ahead of Republic Day, raising serious national security concerns.
Police said the woman was intercepted in the Vasant Vihar area while driving a vehicle displaying counterfeit diplomatic registration plates resembling those issued by a foreign embassy.
The case has attracted wider attention after videos and photographs surfaced on social media platforms, including Facebook and X, purportedly showing the woman attending a BRICS-related programme in Russia and posing with foreign diplomats.
In the videos, she is seen delivering opening and closing keynote addresses at the event and claiming that she travelled to Russia as an Indian ambassadorial representative. Senior Crime Branch officials said they were not confirming or denying these claims at this stage, adding that no further details could be shared as the investigation was ongoing.
According to police, the arrest was made on January 15 following specific intelligence received by the Anti-Extortion and Kidnapping Cell of the Crime Branch. The input indicated that a woman was frequently visiting foreign embassies and other sensitive locations in New Delhi while using a vehicle fitted with a forged diplomatic number plate.
Acting on the tip-off, a team led by Inspector Daleep Kumar was formed under the supervision of senior officers to verify the information.
The team tracked the suspect’s movements in Vasant Vihar and laid a trap in B-Block, where the Innova was found parked.
At 3.10 pm, the woman was intercepted in the Innova she claimed was diplomatic but lacked documents. She admitted using forged embassy plates bought in November 2024. A graduate from Assam, she was remanded for six days, her phone seized, and investigations continue.