Man posing as ADM held for cheating people of Rs 60 lakh

A man who allegedly posed as an Additional District Magistrate (ADM), and cheated several to the tune of Rs 60 lakh under the pretext of securing Government jobs and arranging land allotments, has been arrested by Delhi Police, officials said on Saturday.

The accused, Pawan Kumar Pandey alias Varun Kumar Pandey (43), a resident of Delhi’s Gandhi Vihar, allegedly impersonated a serving provincial civil services (PCS) officer from Uttar Pradesh and used forged identity cards and documents to gain the trust of victims.

According to police, a complaint was received at Sidhipura police post in March alleging that the accused had introduced himself as “Varun Kumar Pandey, ADM, Uttar Pradesh” and claimed to have close links with senior Government officials.

He allegedly promised Government jobs and plots in Noida under a purported Government scheme and induced the complainant and his associates to part nearly Rs 60 lakh, police said.

An FIR was registered in this connection under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and an investigation was launched.

During the probe, police examined digital and financial records and tracked transactions made through bank accounts and UPI platforms. Investigators also collected technical evidence and verified the identity used by the accused.

Police said the mobile phones used by the accused were linked to Apple IDs registered in the name of “Varun Kumar Pandey”. Subsequent verification with the real Varun Kumar Pandey, a 2015-batch PCS officer and former additional district magistrate in Jhansi, revealed that the accused had fraudulently used his name and designation.

“The accused deliberately assumed the identity of the PCS officer, knowing that photographs and information relating to him were available in the public domain, which helped him convincingly portray himself as a Government official,” an officer said.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly admitted to impersonating an ADM for several years and using forged identity cards and documents to support his claims. He is also suspected of cheating other persons with the promise of Government jobs and land allotments.

Police recovered visiting cards and identity cards bearing the designation of ADM, suspected forged educational certificates, government-related documents, mobile phones, screenshots, WhatsApp chats and photographs allegedly used to support the impersonation.

Investigators also identified a car and a scooty that were allegedly purchased using proceeds of the fraud.

Police said the accused has a previous criminal case registered against him in 2019 at Sahibabad police station in Uttar Pradesh under sections related to impersonation and criminal intimidation.

Further investigation is underway to identify additional victims, trace the proceeds of crime and ascertain the role of other persons who may have been involved in the alleged conspiracy, police added.