Speech, Applause, Gone: Bihar Man Missing After UPSC Rank 440 Claim Found Fake

Celebrations erupted in a village in Bihar's Sheikhpura as its resident Ranjit Kumar came out with flying colours in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination, the results of which were announced on March 6. His proud father stood behind him, gleaming, as the local MLA, district and village authorities and even the police garlanded him, gave him shawls, bouquets and other gifts, and fed him sweets to celebrate his 440th rank.

At a the event organised to felicitate him, he delivered an inspiring speech that cited former President APJ Abdul Kalam and also mentioned how he cleared the exam by studying for four hours, when other aspirants study for 18 hours. He stressed the importance of hard work, self belief, and setting goals.

The village mukhiya (head) held a similar event, while he was also felicitated at the local police station.

When residents checked the UPSC merit list on March 10, doubts arose. When the results were verified, it was found that the 440th rank was secured by a man named Ranjith Kumar R, hailing from Karnataka. Kumar was summoned to the police station with his admit card. Ever since, Kumar is missing and his mobile phone is switched off.

In a video, Ghazipur's Akanksha said, "I am a gynaecologist by profession, currently practising at Patna AIIMS. I have come to know that another girl is claiming the 301st rank. This video is just for clarification. If one scans the QR code on both the admit cards, the matter will be very clear." She claimed that she appeared in all three exams -- prelims, mains and PT, with the same roll number.

In January, a man with a fake UPSC result that showed him as qualified for civil services arrived at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie for training, prompting authorities to launch an investigation into the matter. it was later found that the man was a fraud victim. He was made to pay over Rs 27,000 to give fake exam and interview and then sent a forged result on WhatsApp.

With inputs from Ranjan Kumar