Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh: In a major crackdown, Gorakhpur police on Tuesday arrested a high-profile impostor, Gaurav Kumar Singh (27), who masqueraded as a 2022-batch IAS officer for nearly three years. Singh, also known as Lalit Kishor, allegedly ran a sprawling fraud network spanning Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh, promising lucrative government jobs, contracts, and tenders in exchange for large sums of money.
Elaborate Masquerade:
During his elaborate pretense, Singh maintained a highly convincing façade of power. He traveled in a white Innova fitted with red-blue beacon lights, maintained a 15-member entourage, and spent around ₹5 lakh monthly to sustain the illusion. His network included forged identity documents, AI-generated official papers, inspection reports, tender documents, and even fabricated media coverage showing him in an official DM chair.
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Victims and Scope of Fraud:
Police revealed that Singh defrauded over 40 individuals, including real estate developers, contractors, and businessmen. In one high-value case, a Bihar-based businessman paid over ₹5 crore and provided two luxury Innova cars, lured by the promise of a ₹450-crore tender. Authorities are investigating numerous other cases across four states where Singh reportedly extracted money through deception.
Arrest of Aides:
Two of Singh’s associates, Parmanand Gupta and Abhishek Kumar, both from Bihar, were also arrested. Abhishek Kumar, Singh’s brother-in-law, reportedly helped create forged documents and manage the technical aspects of the fraud.
Trigger of Investigation:
The investigation gained traction after a merchant from Bihar, Mukund Madhav, was caught at Gorakhpur railway station carrying ₹99.09 lakh, allegedly intended as a bribe for Singh. Although the deal fell through, the seizure prompted deeper scrutiny, ultimately exposing Singh’s sophisticated fraud network.
Personal Background:
Gaurav hails from Mehasoul village in Sitamarhi district, Bihar. He holds an MSc in Mathematics and initially aspired to join the civil services. After failing to secure a legitimate position, he allegedly went underground, later claiming to have cleared the IAS exam, which enabled him to assume the identity of an IAS officer.
Romantic Deceptions:
Police investigations revealed that Singh maintained romantic relationships with four women, three of whom were allegedly expecting children under the belief he was an IAS officer. He was also married to a woman from Bihar, who, like the others, was unaware of his true identity.
Coordinated Action Underway:
Gorakhpur SP Abhinav Tyagi stated that over 40 victims have come forward, and police are analyzing additional forged documents and tenders. Law enforcement agencies in other states are being contacted to coordinate further investigations.
The arrest of Gaurav Kumar Singh underscores the sophisticated methods employed by impostors to exploit the trust and aspirations of citizens. Police continue to investigate the full extent of his fraudulent network and its operations across multiple states.
