Gujarat man held for impersonating IAS officer to dupe people

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad police have arrested a 29-year-old man who allegedly posed as an IAS officer and used fake letters claiming to be from various government departments to cheat people, an official said on Sunday.

Mehul Shah, an engineer who manages two schools at Vankaner in Gujarat's Morbi district, is accused of making lakhs of rupees with bogus documents and false claims, said inspector (crime branch) JK Makwana.

Posing as a top government official, the accused contacted Pratik Shah, who runs a car rental business, and asked him to provide a vehicle fixed with a siren and curtains. However, he did not pay the rent, Makwana said.

“The accused identified himself as a director in the revenue department and an IAS officer. He produced bogus letters claiming to be from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the “department of science and research development” and a work permit to get the siren and curtain fixed in the car,” Makwana said.

He had also forged an appointment letter from the Ahmedabad district education officer (DEO) to offer a computer operator's job in a government office to a complainant's son. Shah even introduced himself as a trustee of a school and did not pay Rs 7 lakh due to another complainant over the painting of a school building, the official said.

“Despite holding no official position in the state or central government, he used fake work permits and NOCs to cheat people of lakhs of rupees,” the police official said.

Police have recovered from his possession fake identity cards and letters with headings like "bharat gaurav ratna shri samman council", "chairman of the department of science and research development", "health and family welfare department", and "road and building department".

"The FIR is based on complaints by three victims. We appeal to the people to come forward and submit their complaints if they have been cheated by Shah in any way," Makwana said.

(Inputs from PTI)