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MUMBAI, July 02: Mumbai Crime Branch arrested a young man, posing as IAS officer, who had been living a bureaucrat’s fantasy life right inside a plush government guest house in Bandra.
Rambali Singh, a resident of Vaishali district in Bihar, had allegedly been impersonating an Indian Administrative Service Officer and enjoying the perks that come with the uniform without ever cracking the UPSC exam.
Singh had been staying for two days at the Customs Department’s Government guest house in Bandra East, on a contact in the civil services who helped book him in. His deception, however, unraveled when his car with a “Government of India” board stuck to the front caught the attention of patrolling officers in Malad.
Acting on the lead, they intercepted the vehicle, wherein, seated calmly in the backseat was Singh, who confidently flashed an ID card identifying him as an “Assistant Director (Security)” with the Ministry of Home Affairs, valid until 2028.
But, with some doubts, Singh was taken to the Dahisar Crime Branch office for questioning but during the interrogation, Singh cracked & admitted that he had moved to Delhi in 2017 to prepare for the Civil Services Examination. Some of his friends had gone on to become IAS and IRS officers in 2022, but he couldn’t clear the exam.
Coming to Mumbai for a three day getaway, he used a friend’s help an actual government employee to secure accommodation at the prestigious Customs guest house & booked a local driver, who was told to chauffeur a visiting government officer across the city.
When police searched Singh’s belongings, they recovered not just the dubious identity card, but also 16 visiting cards, two mobile phones, an Aadhaar card, PAN card, driving licence, and some cash.
The police are now investigating the matter, whether anyone else helped Singh sustain the illusion. Singh was booked under sections 204 (personating a public servant), 336(2) (forgery) and 336(3) (making a false document), and 340 (using a forged document as genuine) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and was remanded in police custody till July 3.
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