Who Is Dr Ashma Begum? Inside the Shocking ‘Fake Diplomat’ Case That Breached Delhi’s Secure Circles

New Delhi

oi-Ashish Rana

The
arrest
of
Dr
Ashma
Begum
has
triggered
serious
security
concerns
in
the
national
capital
after
Delhi
Police
revealed
that
the
Assam-based
woman
allegedly
posed
as
a
foreign
diplomat
for
several
months.

Her
detention
comes
at
a
sensitive
time,
just
days
before
India’s
77th
Republic
Day,
when
New
Delhi
remains
under
heightened
security
and
surveillance.
Investigators
believe
her
actions
allowed
her
access
to
some
of
the
most
restricted
diplomatic
zones
in
Lutyens’
Delhi.

A
Convincing
Public
Persona
in
Lutyens’
Delhi

To
residents
of
the
upscale
Vasant
Vihar
neighbourhood,
Ashma
Begum
appeared
to
be
a
genuine
diplomat.
She
lived
in
a
rented
house
which
she
reportedly
claimed
as
her
own
and
was
often
seen
driving
a
Toyota
Innova
bearing
blue
diplomatic
number
plates.
The
vehicle
was
regularly
parked
inside
embassy
premises,
reinforcing
the
impression
that
she
belonged
to
the
diplomatic
community.

Police
investigations
later
revealed
that
Begum
is
a
resident
of
Guwahati,
Assam.
She
claims
to
be
a
graduate
and
has
presented
a
wide
range
of
professional
identities.
Among
them,
she
described
herself
as
the
All-India
Secretary
of
the
Republican
Party
of
India,
a
political
party
led
by
Union
Minister
Ramdas
Athawale.
She
also
claimed
associations
with
national
sports
bodies
and,
at
various
points,
introduced
herself
as
a
consultant
linked
to
a
foreign
embassy.

Forged
Plates
and
Strategic
Social
Infiltration

According
to
officials
from
the
Crime
Branch’s
Anti-Extortion
and
Kidnapping
Cell,
Begum’s
alleged
deception
was
built
on
forged
documents
and
carefully
planned
social
interactions.

Police
stated
that
she
purchased
the
SUV
from
a
foreign
embassy
in
November
2024
but
did
not
complete
the
registration
transfer.
After
the
embassy
lodged
a
complaint
with
Chanakyapuri
police,
investigators
allege
that
she
began
using
counterfeit
diplomatic
number
plates
to
evade
security
checks
across
the
capital.

Investigators
also
believe
she
attended
embassy-hosted
social
events
frequently,
presenting
herself
as
a
diplomat
to
gain
the
trust
of
foreign
officials
and
influential
residents.
These
gatherings
reportedly
helped
her
blend
into
elite
circles
without
raising
immediate
suspicion.

At
the
time
of
her
arrest,
Begum
was
allegedly
working
as
a
consultant
for
international
students,
assisting
African
nationals
in
securing
admissions
to
a
university
in
Meghalaya.

Arrest,
Charges
and
the
Expanding
Probe

Acting
on
a
specific
tip-off,
Delhi
Police
intercepted
Begum
in
Vasant
Vihar
on
January
15.
A
search
of
her
vehicle
led
to
the
recovery
of
three
additional
sets
of
forged
embassy
number
plates
along
with
documents
related
to
the
vehicle’s
sale.

During
questioning,
she
failed
to
produce
any
valid
diplomatic
identification
and
could
not
name
the
embassy
she
claimed
to
represent.
Police
subsequently
registered
a
case
under
multiple
sections
of
the
Bharatiya
Nyaya
Sanhita,
2023,
including
charges
related
to
impersonation
and
forgery.

A
court
has
remanded
Begum
to
six
days
of
police
custody.
Investigators
are
now
examining
her
mobile
phone
and
digital
records
to
establish
how
long
the
impersonation
continued
and
whether
she
had
accomplices
operating
within
diplomatic
enclaves.
The
probe
is
also
expected
to
assess
potential
security
lapses
that
allowed
the
deception
to
continue
unnoticed
for
months.