Noida: The Delhi Police had mistakenly apprehended a Noida journalist, confusing him with a criminal suspect. The incident gained widespread attention after videos of the confrontation between the journalist and police circulated on social media. Subsequently, the police issued a written apology.
The Delhi Police released a statement acknowledging their error in identifying the journalist. The statement detailed that officers from Prem Nagar Police Station in outer Delhi were investigating a case under sections 318(4) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam explained that the team was following a mobile phone signal of an accused named Rahul from Bahadurgarh. The signal led them to a petrol station in Noida’s Sector 38, where they encountered a man with his wife in a vehicle.
The police claimed the individual initially refused to show identification, leading to a dispute. The person later identified himself as Rahul Shah, a journalist from Noida. However, Shah contested this account, stating he readily presented his Aadhaar card, PAN card, and his wife showed her official identification.
Upon recognising their error, the police team offered their apologies before departing. The DCP attributed the confusion to similar facial features and the shared first name, noting that the team expressed regret once they confirmed
the misidentification.
The department has documented the incident internally, with no additional proceedings planned.
Rahul Shah later issued a statement saying, “On June 19, while refueling at the Noida Sector 38A petrol pump, I was wrongfully apprehended by three individuals claiming to be officers from the Delhi Police. They were looking for a cyber criminal named ‘Rahul’ and believed that a name match was enough to drag me out of my car and forcefully put me into a private vehicle parked just a few metres away.” He mentioned that both he and his wife presented their press credentials and identification documents.
“They forcefully ejected me from my car, holding me by my belt, without any proper verification,” his statement continued, noting that his wife, also a journalist,
recorded the incident.