Delhi: Woman arrested with forged diplomatic plates on car linked to several top-BJP leaders
Represented India as ambassador at BRICS: Reports
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New Delhi: The Anti-Extortion and Kidnapping Cell of the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested a woman from Assam over charges of impersonating a foreign diplomat and driving an Innova car with forged diplomatic number plates to gain access to high-security areas of the national capital. The arrest that came days before the 77th Republic Day has made headlines across the country.
The arrested woman has been identified as Ashma Begum, a resident of Guwahati in Assam. She was detained on January 15 while driving the Toyota Innova car fitted with forged diplomatic number plates in the national capital. Police recovered three forged embassy number plates, a mobile phone and sale documents of the vehicle.
According to the reports, the police detained her while working on a tip-off. The cops have also added that she also used the fake diplomatic identity to gain access to restricted areas including housing central government offices, embassies, consulates and residences of foreign diplomats.
Sources in the police department have also revealed that Ashma had also attended several embassy-hosted event and gathering while posing as a diplomat.
During preliminary questioning, the accused failed to identify the embassy she claimed to represent or produce any valid diplomatic credentials or vehicle registration documents. She later told investigators that she had purchased the SUV from a foreign embassy in November 2024 but had not completed the registration process.
The controversy has deepened on the internet after fact-checker and journalist Mohammed Zubair tweeted several of her photos taken alongside BJP leaders and ministers including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Kiren Rejiju, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale and others.
Zubair further claimed that the woman was serving as the National Secretary of the Republic Party of India led by Union Minister Ramdas Athawale. He also claimed that Ashma had represented India as Ambassador and delivered keynote presentations at the opening and closing ceremonies at BRICS.
A case has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The accused has been remanded to six days of police custody, and her digital data and activities are being examined to ascertain the duration of the alleged impersonation and identify possible accomplices.
Name of the Woman: Ashma Begum. No News Channels mention her name and party affiliation. She is a National Secretary of the Republican Party of India by @RamdasAthawale. She also represented India as Ambassador and delivered keynote presentations at the opening and closing… pic.twitter.com/rYcF8Lgejt
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) January 24, 2026
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Republic Day: Drone cameras, dog squads help boost security along Nepal border in Maharajganj
Maharajganj (PTI): Ahead of the Republic Day, the Sashastra Seema Bal and police have stepped up vigil along the India-Nepal border in the Maharajganj district with several measures, including deployment of dog squads, a police official said Saturday.
Maharajganj SP Somendra Meena said Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has installed closed-circuit and drone cameras on all routes leading to Nepal.
"To prevent the possible movement of terrorists in the area, security agencies have been asked to ascertain the identity of people before allowing them to cross over through the border. In an effort to strengthen the security arrangements at the porous India-Nepal border and stop infiltration of anti-national elements, the SSB has installed closed-circuit cameras and drone cameras on each and every route leading to Nepal," Meena told PTI.
These cameras have been put at SSB posts, as well as on the main roads, he said.
He added that metal detectors have been installed at Sonauli and Thuthibari outposts on the India-Nepal border.
The SP said that dog squads trained in detecting narcotics and arms have been deployed to check smuggling across the border. "After the deployment of the dog squad, there would be a lot of relief in checking the suspected people in the bordering area," he said.
According to Meena, assistance from Nepalese security agencies is also being taken so that no anti-national element can infiltrate.
"SSB and police are investigating suspicious people in congested areas and at dhabas alongside the border. Along with this, a strict vigil is being kept on the people and the vehicles passing through Sonauli on the India-Nepal border with the help of the dog squad," he said.
UP's Maharajganj district shares an 84-km open border with Nepal.
