In a startling case of long-term deception, a man who repeatedly failed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations managed to pose as a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer for nearly seven years before his arrest in Jharkhand's Palamu district. The elaborate charade, complete with a government nameplate on his car and forged identity cards, finally collapsed when he walked into a police station seeking help.
The Day the Facade Cracked
The incident came to light on January 2, when a man identifying himself as Rajesh Kumar, 35, entered the Hussainabad police station. He introduced himself as a 2014-batch Odisha-cadre IAS officer currently posted as a chief accounts officer in Bhubaneswar. According to the official statement recorded by Officer-in-Charge Sonu Kumar Chaudhary, the man claimed he was on leave to attend to personal work in his native Kukhi village and sought police assistance in a land dispute involving a relative.
Chaudhary followed standard protocol for an IAS officer. However, suspicion arose when the visitor mentioned postings in Dehradun and Hyderabad, which seemed inconsistent for an Odisha-cadre officer. Upon further questioning, the man changed his story, claiming he was not an IAS officer but an IPTAFS officer, a service he asserted was equivalent to the IAS.
"This inconsistency raised serious doubt, as no serving officer would casually change or misstate their service during an official interaction," Chaudhary stated.
The Unraveling and Arrest
After the man left, Chaudhary alerted his superior, Hussainabad Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Mohammad Yaqub. A verification check revealed no officer existed matching the name, batch, cadre, or service details provided. The police traced the man from a nearby area and brought him back to the station along with his Hyundai Aura car bearing a Jharkhand registration number.
Under sustained questioning, he confessed. He was neither an IAS officer nor a member of any allied service. Further inquiry through the Haidernagar police and local sources revealed he had been introducing himself as an IAS officer in and around his village for several years.
His car featured a blue board at the front inscribed with "Government of India, Department of Telecommunications". Police alleged he used this false identity to assert influence at police stations and government offices. During a search, authorities found a fake ID card naming Rajesh Kumar as a junior-grade chief accounts officer, a mobile phone, a Chanakya IAS Academy ID, a library card, and the blue government nameplate.
A Dream Deferred, A Lie Constructed
During interrogation, the man disclosed that becoming an IAS officer was his father's wish and his own dream. He had gone to Delhi to prepare for the UPSC civil services examinations and appeared for them four times. He cleared the preliminary exam once but failed to make the final list.
Unable to face his father's disappointment, he told his family he had succeeded. This single lie spiraled into a seven-year deception. He maintained the pretense with carefully rehearsed answers about service history and fabricated postings.
SDPO Mohammad Yaqub noted that such impersonation cases are not isolated. "There have been several similar cases in different places. Such persons often arouse suspicion during conversations. When questioned closely about their service, postings or cadre, their answers don't add up," he explained. He credited the alertness of Officer Chaudhary for the breakthrough.
The man was subsequently arrested and charged under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for impersonation, use of forged identity documents, and misleading public servants.
