Fake IAS officer arrested from Kolkata

Kolkata, April 17 A man who allegedly duped several people by impersonating as an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer has been arrested, Kolkata police informed on Monday.

Shanta Kumar was arrested late on Sunday night by the cops of Burtolla Police station under the north & north suburban division of Kolkata Police.

City police sources said that Kumar was arrested on the basis of a complaint received against him last year. He was originally a resident of Beliaghata, currently residing at Haridevpur area in the southern outskirts of Kolkata from where he was picked-up.

Kumar has a number of vehicles in which he would move around sporting fake stickers of the state secretariat and the city police.

It is learnt that one Manju Ghosh filed a complaint at the Burtolla Police station last year against Santa Kumar. Ghosh alleged that Kumar, who introduced himself as an IAS officer, promised her two flats under special quota at Rajarhat Megacity area. For that purpose, she also paid an advance amount of Rs 11,76 lakhs to the fake IAS officer. However, since then Kumar has vanished with her money.

Police started investigation in the matter and came to know of similar cases against Kumar. Finally, on Sunday night, he was arrested. While investigating, police recovered certain government papers as well as several fake stickers from his residence. He will be presented to a city court on Monday where the police will seek his custody.

To recall, in 2021, the police busted a fake Covid-19 vaccination racket run by a bogus Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Debanjan Deb, who used to hoodwink people using a vehicle sporting a red beacon.