Darjeeling, Jan. 6: A salute gave away Md Hayed Khalif.

The 27-year-old who had been masquerading as an IPS officer for sometime was caught red handed this morning when he saluted Darjeeling additional SP, supposedly his senior, in his casuals.

Security personnel, whether from the police or the armed forces, cannot salute their seniors if they are not in their uniform cap and belt. “Khalif saluted dressed in casuals. This criterion of a salute is taught even to a constable,” said Kunal Agarwal, the additional superintendent of police, Darjeeling.

If a junior is not in his uniform, he is only expected to stand at attention when he meets his superior.

“He (Khalif) came to the Darjeeling police station introducing himself to be IPS officer yesterday evening and was directed to Kennelworth (a police guesthouse) by some personnel. In the morning, I visited him and the moment he saluted, I realised he could not be a police officer,” said Agarwal.

Before his arrest, Khalif and his wife Shilpa Hayed, 26, had enjoyed all the facilities an IPS officer is entitled to, including accommodation at Kennelworth and round-the-clock service to ensure

that the duo were comfortable during their stay in Darjeeling.

In Gangtok, too, Khalif, who claimed that he was from the 2009 cadre, was allowed to stay at the officers’ mess and had a police pass issued to him for travel to Sikkim’s Nathul-la on the Indo-China border. All along, he had claimed that he had lost his I-card, which would be issued soon afresh. It is suspected that officers, fearing wrath of a senior, did not question him too closely.

But today’s salute turned out to be costly for Khalif as Agarawal immediately started verifying his claims.

“He claimed to have recently graduated from the National Police Academy in Hyderabad but could not even name a single faculty member. He could not tell us about the buildings of the academy also,” said Agarawal.

Khalif had also claimed that his name was Zia-ul-Haque but inquiries revealed that no one with the name had passed out of the Hyderabad academy in 2009. “There was an officer by the name but he is currently undergoing training at Gaziabad. I spoke to that officer,” said Agarwal.

Khalif had also claimed that his father Abdul Rehman was currently the finance secretary with the central government.

“He claimed that his father was a 1981 Bihar cadre (IAS),” Agarwal said.

An enquiry by the Darjeeling police revealed that Asok Chawla, a 1973 Gujarat cadre IAS officer, is currently the finance secretary.

Later in the day, during interrogation, Khalif and his wife, both claiming to be from Bangalore, admitted “they had committed some mistake”.

Khalif told the police that he was working as an engineer with Gammon India at Kochi, Kerala. “We are yet to ascertain whether he really works with Gammon India,” said Agarawal. Shipa, too, has been arrested, as she was aware that her husband was impersonating as an IPS officer. The duo have been booked for cheating by impersonating and will be produced in court tomorrow.

The police said this is the second case of an impostor claiming to be an IPS officer. “The other such case had been registered in Bhatinda, Punjab, three years ago,” said a police official.

(Khalif and his wife at the Darjeeling police station after their arrest on Thursday. Picture by Suman Tamang)