Is it real? From Bhopal to Bihar, fake IAS officers are using forged credentials to con people
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Image for representation Photograph: (Freepik)
Multiple individuals in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar were arrested for posing as IAS officers using forged IDs and documents to scam citizens, promise jobs, and extort money.
From Madhya Pradesh to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, a series of cases involving people allegedly posing as IAS officers has exposed how fake government IDs, forged documents, and fabricated links to officials are being used to deceive people and extract money.
The latest case emerged in Bhopal, where a woman identified as Tripti Singh Rajput was arrested for allegedly posing as an IAS officer and collecting money from people by claiming to hold the post of Additional Director in the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department, The Indian Express reported.
The alleged fraud came to light after an Instagram reel featuring three women claiming to be IAS officers caught the attention of Bhopal Police.
In the video, the women claimed they had visited the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. “We have come here to attend the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. Since they don’t allow photography inside, we decided to film this outside,” one of them was quoted as saying.
Another woman said, “Looking at our antics, no one can tell we are IAS officers.”
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The third woman was Rajput, whom the other two later allegedly accused of asking them to pose as IAS officers. Police found that the video was not filmed outside the Vidhan Sabha, as claimed, but inside a gallery at the Anthropological Museum complex.
According to police, Rajput allegedly collected lakhs of rupees from people by promising government jobs, tourism-property leases and access to senior officials.
Police allege that she used a range of fake credentials to make the claims appear genuine, including government identity cards, letterheads, joining documents, trophies and a vehicle carrying ‘Government of India’ markings.
Rajput and her brother were arrested, while police also identified suspected suppliers of the forged documents. Investigators are examining deleted files from a laptop, financial transactions and phone records to determine whether more people were involved in the alleged network.
Gujarat man allegedly posed as IAS officer in Indore
The Bhopal case came just two days after Madhya Pradesh Police arrested 28-year-old Himanshu Panchal in Indore for allegedly posing as an IAS officer.
Panchal, a resident of Ahmedabad, reportedly hosted a party for 16 people at a five-star hotel and left without paying the bill, allegedly telling hotel staff that his personal assistant would settle it later.
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Police later found a fake nameplate reading “IAS Raj Soni, District Collector” at his rented residence. Panchal was unable to provide documents proving that he was an IAS officer. A cheating case is also registered against him in Gujarat.
UP man allegedly posed as IAS officer to secure ₹15 lakh dowry
In Uttar Pradesh, a similar alleged fraud involved marriage and dowry. Etawah resident Pritam Kumar Nishad allegedly posed as an IAS officer to deceive a woman and her family, PTI reported.
Nishad reportedly met the woman through a matrimonial group and allegedly shared fake interview videos, office photographs and pictures with politicians to establish his credentials.
He initially claimed that he would marry without dowry. However, the woman’s family allegedly paid ₹10 lakh during the engagement and another ₹5 lakh on the wedding day.
The alleged fraud was discovered after the marriage when relatives learnt that Nishad was not an IAS officer. Nishad and his sister, who are reportedly absconding, have been booked on charges including cheating, forgery and dowry harassment.
Bihar man claimed to be IAS officer, undercover agent
In Bihar’s Khagaria district, police earlier in August arrested Manish Gupta for allegedly posing as an IAS officer and claiming to work as an undercover agent under National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. During interrogation, Gupta reportedly produced a Central Vigilance Commission card and a fake IAS identity card. Police subsequently found both documents to be forged.
