An Amazon delivery man disguised as a lieutenant army officer raped a Safdarjung Hospital doctor after mixing drugs in her food. Police arrested the accused, identified as Aarav Malik, from the Chattarpur area of New Delhi.
Malik approached the doctor on Instagram a couple of months ago, posing as an army officer and convincing her of his identity.
Officials handling the case said Malik revealed that he first contacted the doctor on Instagram, and over time, they began chatting on WhatsApp.
Malik sent several pictures of himself dressed as an army personnel to gain the 27-year-old doctor’s trust.
Malik created an elaborate story to support his fake identity. He claimed that he was posted in Kashmir from April 30 to September 27 and shared numerous pictures supposedly taken there.
During the investigation, Malik told police that he had bought an army uniform from a shop in Delhi Cantonment to make his impersonation more convincing.
In October, Malik visited the doctor at her residence in the Masjid Moth area. He mixed a drug into her food, causing her to lose consciousness.
When the doctor regained consciousness on October 16, she filed a complaint against Malik at the Safdarjung Enclave Police Station. Police arrested him soon after.
This case marks the second deeply disturbing incident of sexual assault involving a doctor within a few days.
In Maharashtra’s Satara district, a young woman doctor working at a government hospital died by suicide last week. In her handwritten notes, she accused Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane of repeatedly raping her over five months and named another man, Prashant Bankar, for mentally harassing her.
Police reports state that Badane surrendered at the Phaltan Rural Police Station on Saturday evening, a few hours after officers took Bankar into custody earlier that day.
Impersonation refers to falsely taking upon another person’s identity to deceive or harm others. It can take several forms, including posing as an authority figure, using forged documents, creating fake online profiles, or pretending to hold a professional title such as a doctor or police officer.
Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, 2000, impersonation is a punishable offence that can lead to imprisonment and fines. Victims can file FIRs, seek damages, or request legal injunctions, while preventive measures like verifying identities and maintaining digital security can help reduce such risks.
1. Gandhi, Abhishek. “Impersonation in Law: Meaning, Types, Punishments, and Legal Remedies.” AdvocateGandhi.com, September 19, 2025. https://advocategandhi.com/impersonation-in-law-meaning-types-punishments-and-legal-remedies/.
(Rh/ARC)
