Tom Cruise hires a Suri body double!

A. Miller/WENN.com

It sounds like someone has starred in one too many Mission Impossible flicks, because daddy’s gone and hired a decoy daughter. That’s right, there is a Suri Cruise body double running around town, getting shots snapped by salivating paparazzi.

The cover was blown on Operation-Hire-a-Kid after photogs could have sworn they were seeing double…

Katie Holmes and Suri headed downtown to TriBeCa, bound for the ‘wichcraft sandwich shop on Greenwich St. (a favorite of mom’s), only the black SUV made an unexpected stop at a police precinct — and out popped the doppelganger! The real Suri arrived with her nanny minutes later in another black SUV at the side entrance of the ‘wich eatery.

For reasons unclear, Tom Cruise has reportedly stepped up security around Suri in recent months and has met with risk assessment teams and kidnapping specialists.

“I’ve seen this type of thing when stars have stalkers,” said an observer, who has done legwork for private eyes in the past. Big shots faced with “kidnap threats” will resort to using body doubles. “They go through private security because if they go to the police, it eventually hits the press and they don’t want that.”

“Tom wants the names of all the parents of the kids Suri plays with,” said a source close to Holmes. “He has to approve them before Suri can go to their houses or apartments alone. He has them investigated and he keeps a file on everyone. He is very cautious when it comes to her.”

The identity of Suri’s alleged double wasn’t immediately known and it’s not clear if her duties extend to being TomKat’s daughter’s playmate. But the little imposter is apparently friendly with Holmes, who was photographed talking to her a month earlier.