Jharkhand Man Fails UPSC 4 Times, Poses As Top Civil Servant For 7 Years

A 35-year-old man from Jharkhand was arrested for posing as a top civil servant, an Indian Posts and Telecommunications Accounts and Finance Service (IPTAS) officer, for nearly seven years after he failed the UPSC exam four times but wanted to appear successful to his father.

The incident came to light on January 2 when Rajesh Kumar - a resident of Jharkhand's Kukhi - visited the Hussainabad police station seeking the station house officer in connection with a land dispute. He introduced himself as a 2014-batch Odisha cadre IAS officer, currently posted as a Chief Accounts Officer (CAO) in Bhubaneswar. During the conversation, Kumar said that he was posted in various states, including Dehradun, Hyderabad, and Bhubaneswar. He also claimed to be an IPTAFS officer before leaving the police station.

Suspicious of his claims, the police station house officer conducted a preliminary investigation, which revealed that Kumar was not employed in any government service.

Subsequently, Kumar was detained.

During questioning, Kumar said he had appeared for the UPSC examination four times, but failed. To appear successful and fulfil his father's wish, Kumar admitted to posing as a top civil servant. He used to travel around with a fake ID card and a Hyundai Era car with a fake nameplate bearing the words 'Government of India'. The car's number plate was - JH01Z-4884.

Kumar also carried a fake Chanakya IAS Academy ID card.

"We have arrested him based on his confession," S Mohammad Yaqoob, SDPO, Hussainabad, said.

He has been booked under various sections and has been remanded to judicial custody, officials said.