Jharkhand man arrested for impersonating IAS officer for seven years
Ranchi: A 35-year-old man who allegedly posed as a senior IAS officer for nearly seven years has been arrested in Jharkhand’s Palamu district, police said.
The accused, identified as Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Kukhi village under the Haidernagar police station area, admitted during interrogation that he had falsely claimed to be a civil servant after repeatedly failing the UPSC Civil Services Examination, The New Indian Express reported on Tuesday.
According to Hussainabad Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) MD Yakub, Kumar told investigators that it was his father’s dream for him to become an IAS officer. “He attempted the UPSC examination four times but was unsuccessful. Following this, he lied to his father, family members, and relatives, claiming that he had become an Indian Posts and Telegraphs Accounts and Finance Service (IPTAFS) officer, and had been living as a fake officer for the past 6-7 years,” TNIE quoted Yakub as saying.
The fraud came to light on January 2, when Kumar visited the Hussainabad police station seeking to meet the station house officer over a land dispute involving a relative. He introduced himself as a 2014-batch IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, claiming he was currently posted as a Chief Accounts Officer in Bhubaneswar.
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When questioned about his postings in Dehradun, Hyderabad, and Bhubaneswar, he gave contradictory statements and claimed to be an IPTAFS officer, equivalent to an IAS officer, before leaving the station.
Suspicious of his claims, the SDPO initiated a preliminary inquiry, which revealed that Kumar was neither an IAS nor an IPTAFS officer and had no record of employment in any government service.
When summoned for questioning, he failed to produce any valid documents, including appointment letters, identity cards, or departmental papers, and eventually confessed to impersonating an officer.
During a search of his person and vehicle, police recovered a fake identity card, a fake nameplate, and other suspicious materials, which were seized and sealed.
A case has been registered at Hussainabad Police Station under Sections 204 (tampering with evidence), 205 (Code of Criminal Procedure), 336(2) (punishments for forgery), 336(3) (Forgery for the purpose of cheating), 337 (using forged documents as genuine), 339 (Liability for Fraudulent Conduct), and 340(2) (Code of Criminal Procedure) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The accused has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody, police said.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
