A man who posed as an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and allegedly duped people by promising government jobs and employee transfers has been arrested by the police. The accused, Mr. Jai Prakash Pathak, aged 31, hails from Raghaipur village in Uttar Pradesh‘s Pratapgarh district.
Mr. Pathak was apprehended on August 8 following a tip-off, according to police officials. He had been masquerading as an officer from the Ministry of Home Affairs, using this false identity to extort money from unsuspecting victims.
Living a Fake Life with Fake Documents
Police reported that Mr. Pathak was residing in a rented flat in Sector 22A and was using a vehicle bearing “Government of India” signage to further his deception. During the arrest operation, a team led by Inspector Vijendra located Mr. Pathak on the second-floor balcony of the building. Upon spotting the police, he attempted to escape to the terrace but was swiftly caught.
A subsequent search of his room led to the recovery of various fake and suspicious items, including:
- Two forged identity cards
- An ID lanyard with “Ministry of Home Affairs” branding
- An envelope related to a police inspector’s transfer order
- A forged arms licence
- Six mobile phones and a laptop
- A walkie-talkie set
- An Ayushman Bharat health card
- Three Aadhaar cards, one PAN card, one ATM card, and a passport
- Two forged official seals
- Red and blue beacon lights
- Rs. 2.5 lakh in cash
- A car with “Government of India” written on it
Prior Offences in Pratapgarh
Investigations revealed that Mr. Pathak is a repeat offender. He already had a case registered against him in Pratapgarh for impersonating a senior official from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and defrauding a person under the pretext of securing a transfer.
Legal Action Under BNS
A case has now been filed against Mr. Pathak under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including:
- Section 204: Impersonation of a public servant
- Section 205: Wearing garb or carrying a token used by a public servant with fraudulent intent
- Section 318(2): Cheating
- Section 319: Cheating by personation
- Section 338: Forgery of valuable security
- Section 340: Possession of forged documents
Police officials stated that further investigations are ongoing to identify others who may have been defrauded by the accused. Authorities are also verifying whether Mr. Pathak had any accomplices.
