Section 420

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Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (used in India and Pakistan) has become a slang reference for a confidence trickster. Such criminals are sometimes called 420 in popular culture in those countries.

A 420 is a person acting fraudulently to cheat somebody out of their belongings; a confidence trickster. From Section 420 of the Penal Codes of both India and Pakistan covering such activity. The Penal Codes of both countries are inherited from the Indian Penal Code of 1860 instituted by the British rulers of the Indian Subcontinent, which then included the present-day countries of India and Pakistan. A popular 1955 Hindi film from India, Shri 420 (in English: Mr. 420) has a central character who, though innocent, is regarded by many as a con man, hence "Mr. 420".

It is to be noted that the code was also in use in other nearby countries such as Burma, where even today the term 420 means a con-artist.

Not to be confused with the association of '420' with marijuana in the USA.

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