Daijiworld Media Network – Raichur (SP)

Raichur, Jul 9: Self-proclaimed deputy secretaries in the department of sports and youth services in the union government, and Sports of Authority of India, were arrested on the night of Monday July 7, although the district officials were initially taken for a ride, after believing them to be real IAS officers.

The office of the district deputy commissioner (DC) here had received a fax on the evening of July 5, about the visit of the above IAS officer and his two escorts to Nehru Yuva Kendra on July 7. As per the instructions of the DC, rooms were reserved for them in the travellers' bungalow here. These two 'higher level officers' were received at the city station early morning on Monday, on their arrival by K K Express. A government vehicle picked them up.

One among the trio, claiming himself to be IAS officer, Hashmi, visited Nehru Yuva Kendra, before meeting the in-charge deputy commissioner and zilla panchayat chief executive officer, Vijaya Jyothsna, on Monday evening.

Vijaya Jyothsna later explained that she grew suspicious about the credentials of the visiting officials, after 'Hashmi' claimed that Rashmi, a Chennai-based IAS officer, was his junior. Vijaya knew that Rashmi had not served outside Tamil Nadu. She thereafter, went through the list of 2007 IAS officers, and found that it did not contain the name of Hashmi. After she contacted some state and central level officials, her doubt about the genuiness of the visiting officials got reinforced.

On a complaint filed by the DC, all the three were arrested on Monday night and interrogated. During their questioning, it came to light that the fake IAS officer and his associates used to extract money from gullible people by offering them jobs.

The arrested persons have been identified as Kabir Hashmi alias Syed Anwar Hashmi, a native of Mumbai, Sarveshkumar alias Hasib from Bihar, and Ubaidulla from Racihur. Ubaidulla worked as middleman to negotiate deals, it is gathered. Rs 15.42 lac in cash, three cell phones, computer, and hard disks, were recovered from their possession. It is said that the trio had succeeded in trapping a local lawyer in their net.

On Tuesday, district superintendent of of police, M N Nagaraj, revealed that the fake IAS officer had collected a sum of Rs 12 lac after handing over an order appointing a local as the non-government member to the advisory committee of Central government's Agricultural Marketting Board.