In a dramatic case of impersonation, the Santhapeta police in Andhra Pradesh‘s Nellore district arrested a conman from Karnataka for posing as an IRS officer to deceive locals. The accused, identified as 23-year-old Rampur Ramesh from Raichur district, had allegedly tried to exploit a local land dispute by offering mediation services in exchange for Rs. 2 lakh from a resident named Venkataramana.
According to Nellore DSP Ms. P. Sindhu Priya, Ramesh travelled to Nellore on June 3 to meet Venkataramana, but when the latter failed to respond, he visited the Talpagiri Ranganatha Swamy temple the next day. There, he introduced himself to the temple executive officer (EO), Mr. Alla Srinivasulu Reddy, as an IRS officer on deputation, claiming he needed temple land documents to resolve disputes.
Initially unsuspecting, the EO provided scanned copies of the land records. However, after further interactions raised doubts, Mr. Reddy verified with government authorities and discovered that no such officer had been deputed to Nellore. Acting swiftly, he alerted the Santhapeta police, who arrested Ramesh near Aditya Nagar.
Police seized fake identity cards, a car used to pose as a government official, and two mobile phones. Ramesh has been remanded to judicial custody, and authorities are probing whether he has duped others using similar tactics.
