WATCH: Two girls use pepper spray to loot jewellery shop in Patna
Things took a dramatic turn as the attentive shopkeeper acted swiftly and somehow managed to escape the attack.
A 38-year-old man was arrested by police in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow for allegedly posing as an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and threatening on-duty police personnel at a tea stall.
The person has been identified as Mithilesh Shukla, a resident of Lucknow. He was arrested by the Mahanagar police for allegedly impersonating a public servant and obstructing government work, PTI quoted police officials as saying.
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According to reports, police received a call regarding a row at a tea shop near Gol Market crossing over payment on the night of June 13. As the police team arrived at the spot, they allegedly saw Shukla arguing with the shopkeeper.
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🎥 | A man allegedly posing as an IPS officer was booked after he reportedly tried to assert authority over real police officers during a late-night dispute with a tea vendor in the Mahanagar area in #Lucknow. According to police, the man claimed to be an IPS officer posted in… pic.twitter.com/w5Vg043PRp
— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) June 16, 2026
It is being said that Shukla refused to pay ₹40 to the shopkeeper. A video of the entire incident has gone viral on social media. It shows Shukla repeatedly insisting that the constables on duty salute him, while he tried to leave without paying the money to the tea vendor.
The action was taken after the stall owner reported the matter to police. As the officials caught the man and confronted him, he asked them why they were not saluting him. He claimed to be an IPS officer posted in Noida.
The constables were not impressed by this and one of them even told him that no salute would be offered to someone in civilian clothes. They even asked him to put on his uniform and produce his identity card.
Reacting to the viral video, Lucknow Police in a post on X stated that a case was registered at Mahanagar Police Station under relevant legal sections.
The accused has been arrested and further legal proceedings are under way, it added.
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