CHENNAI: Sometimes a cop, other times a journalist. Mistress of disguise, S Vijaya Banu (36) alias Sheeba Mathew of Vellore, was nabbed by police on Thursday for allegedly cheating many to the tune of crores of rupees.A morphed photograph of DGP Letika Saran, superimposed by the accused woman’s face were among the notable seizures. It was a painstaking probe by CCB Sub-Inspector Mary Raju and team over the last five months that led to Banu, after a cheating complaint was lodged against her by Vimal Raj of Avadi. “Banu took to crime quite early and had six theft cases against her,” the sub-inspector told Express.It was while serving a term in the Puzhal Central prison in 2009 that Banu began to spin tales about her IPS background. “She told the warders that she was an IPS officer sent from Delhi on a secret mission to probe corruption in prison. To the warders, she gave an address in St Thomas Mount. At to her house, the jailors found her IPS ID card and photographs of her in uniform, posing with an ex-Governor and the CM. ‘Reporter’ After her release in 2010, Banu continued her contacts with the warders. She also invented another bogus identity: A reporter of a fake Tamil daily ‘Urimai Murasu’. After identifying her targets, Banu went to their houses loaded with fruits and costly gifts. She hired three or four henchmen, paying them `2,000 per day, and a tourist car at `1,500-2,000 rent a day. Her fake identity came to light when she meddled with the family of Vimal Raj of Avadi. Banu came into contact with Vimal Raj’s sister Videchana, when the latter was a warder in Puzhal prison. Their ties continued even after Videchana was sent to Vellore prison. “Little by little, she took away 28 sovereigns of gold jewellery from her,” the officer said. Videchana’s husband Arulanandan soon saw through her disguise and warned his wife that Banu was a fake IPS officer. Realising that her cover would soon be blown off, Banu took Videchana along with her two kids to her house in Subham Nagar in Vellore. “Vimal Raj lodged a complaint with the CCB,”the SI said. The CCB team zeroed in to an area in Vellore with the help of mobile signals. Mary Raju and her team posed as nurses tracking the prevalence of swine flu and went for door-to-door verification. On the second day, they found Banu’s house and arrested her, her uncle K Devarajan and a photographer Madivanan of Pulianthope. The team seized Banu’s fake IPS ID card and 13 SIM cards.
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