Dehradun Police on Thursday announced the arrest of R Yashovardhan, 35, the son of a retired chief secretary of Uttarakhand, and charged him with using fabricated government identities to cheat his victims.
Police told his victims that Yashovardhan introduced himself as an officer of the Indian Police Service, Indian Army and foreign spy agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
He was arrested during an operation at the Civil Services Institute junction on Mussoorie Road, Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Bramendra Dobhal said, adding that they had started searching for Yashovardhan after complaints were lodged over the past two weeks.
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The first complaint was filed on July 8 by Anshul Upadhyay, a resident of Dhakra Bazar in Dehradun, who alleged that the accused, posing as a senior government official, summoned him to a hotel near Sai Mandir and took him away. $15 lakh from him after he promised to speed up the company registration process.
The second complaint was filed on July 15 by Dr Anusha, who alleged that Yashovardhan introduced himself as an IPS officer and promised her a job as a data science consultant in the Ministry of Defence.
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Yashovardhan’s father, S Ramaswamy, was an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1986 batch and was the state’s chief secretary from December 2016 to October 2017.
Ramaswamy could not be reached for comment, and calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.
Dobhal said Yashovardhan targeted job seekers and businessmen by promising government jobs and help securing tenders and expedited official permits.
Five fake identity cards, eight fake visit cards, 25 police and army badges, three pairs of military and paramilitary uniforms, three fake service ribbons, a walkie-talkie and a laptop were seized, Dobhal said.
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He said Yashovardhan targeted job seekers and businessmen by promising government jobs and help securing tenders and expedited official permits. “His polished communication skills, formal attire and false credentials helped him easily convince victims that he was an active-duty officer,” the prosecution added.
Dobhal said Yashovardhan always wanted to join the Indian Police Service (IPS). But he did not make the cut despite several attempts for the civil services examination conducted by the public service recruitment officer, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
At some point, Dobhal said, he started impersonating high-ranking officials to gain satisfaction and exploit people’s trust.
