A MAN who stole a police vehicle and impersonated a police officer was denied bail when he appeared in court on Monday.
Satesh Ramsamooj, of Avocat, was also charged with forgery of a document, uttering a forged document and obtaining goods by false pretence.
He appeared virtually before Magistrate Maureen Gafoor at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court and the matter was adjourned to July 26.
Police reported on Monday that on June 24, officers of the Tableland Police Station stopped a marked police vehicle which was escorting two trucks along the Naparima Mayaro Road in Tableland.
The driver of the police vehicle told the officers his name was PC Ramroop. Upon being asked to produce his police identification card, he sped off in the vehicle. The car was subsequently intercepted and the driver arrested.
Officers of the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) were contacted and investigations revealed that the suspect had lied about his identity and the police vehicle had been stolen. Further investigations revealed that the suspect was not a police officer and had no permission to keep and drive a marked police vehicle. It was also found that the vehicle had a false number plate.
Ramsamooj was charged with the offences by acting Cpl Smith of PSB, on June 29, following advice received by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard SC on that same date.
