Jaipur: A woman has been arrested for impersonating a police sub-inspector at the Rajasthan Police Academy (RPA) for nearly two years—training, wearing the uniform, and even appearing in photos with senior officers, media reports said.

The academy, however, claimed access to its classrooms and indoor training areas is tightly restricted.

The accused, Mona Bugalia—also known as Mooli—was caught earlier this week in Sikar district. She had been absconding since 2023 after a complaint was filed in Jaipur, according to an NDTV report.

Police said Bugalia managed to infiltrate Rajasthan’s premier police training institution without ever clearing the sub-inspector recruitment exam.

Following her arrest, police recovered ₹7 lakh in cash, three police uniforms, RPA exam papers, and forged documents from a rented room linked to her.

Bugalia hails from Nimba Ke Bas village in Nagaur district. Her father is a truck driver.

Records show she failed the 2021 sub-inspector exam. Afterwards, she created forged documents under the alias "Mooli Devi" and falsely claimed on social media that she had been selected, the NDTV report said.

She then joined a WhatsApp group meant for sub-inspector recruits and showed up at RPA pretending to be from an earlier batch selected under the sports quota.

For two years, she was seen routinely at the RPA parade ground, participating in drills and posing with senior officers.

She even posted motivational reels online while masquerading as a serving officer.

In one instance, she gave a public speech in uniform, sharing the stage with IPS officers to address young aspirants.

Despite RPA’s secure perimeter, Bugalia allegedly accessed restricted outdoor training zones.

Her ruse began to fall apart when some trainee sub-inspectors grew suspicious.

An internal probe was launched, and Bugalia confessed to faking her identity.

She said she wanted to impress her family—including her four sisters—and enjoy the influence that comes with police status.

Reacting to the incident, social activist Vijay Kumbhar posted on social media: "Mona Bugalia failed the cop exam in 2021. So she changed her name, forged documents, and got into the Jaipur Police Academy as 'Mooli Devi.' For two years, she trained, made reels with IPS officers, played tennis with ADGs, and extorted people. Nobody noticed she wasn't even real. Now arrested. No background check. No verification. Nothing. You verify the whole world, but not your own recruits? This isn't just a lapse. It's institutional rot."

Police said further investigation is ongoing.