The Delhi Police have arrested a 43-year-old man for allegedly impersonating an Additional District Magistrate (ADM) and cheating several people of nearly Rs 60 lakh on the promise of securing government jobs and arranging land allotments in Noida.
The accused, identified as Pawan Kumar Pandey, alias Varun Kumar Pandey, a resident of Gandhi Vihar in Delhi, was arrested by a team from PP Sidhipura under the DBG Road police station. The arrest followed an investigation into a complaint lodged in March this year.
According to the police, the accused introduced himself as “Varun Kumar Pandey, ADM, Uttar Pradesh” and falsely claimed to have close links with senior government officials. He allegedly convinced victims that he could secure government employment and facilitate the allotment of plots under government schemes. On this pretext, he collected large sums of money from several people.
Based on the complaint, the police registered an FIR at the DBG Road police station under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Investigators then launched a detailed probe involving digital surveillance, financial scrutiny and verification of official documents and records.
The police said the investigation revealed that the accused had been fraudulently using the identity of a real PCS officer, Varun Kumar Pandey, a 2015-batch officer who had previously served as ADM in Jhansi. Verification of Apple IDs linked to mobile phones allegedly used by the accused showed that they were registered in the name of “Varun Kumar Pandey”.
Investigators examined call detail records, WhatsApp chats, bank accounts and UPI transactions. They established a financial trail that pointed to the transfer of substantial amounts from victims to the accused through various intermediaries. The police also collected electronic evidence, including audio recordings, e-Sakshya video recordings and screenshots of financial transactions.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly admitted that he had impersonated a senior administrative officer for several years. The police said he used forged identity cards, visiting cards and fabricated documents to support his claims. He allegedly relied on publicly available information and photographs of the real officer to make the impersonation appear genuine and convincing.
Among the items recovered from the accused were forged ADM identity cards, visiting cards, suspected fake educational certificates, government-related documents, mobile phones and pen drives containing recorded conversations and other digital material. The police have also identified a Swift car and a scooty that were allegedly purchased using the proceeds of the crime. Further investigation is under way to trace additional victims, identify possible associates and recover other assets linked to the alleged fraud.
The police records show that the accused was previously involved in a similar case registered at the Sahibabad police station in 2019 under sections related to impersonation, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy. The Delhi Police said efforts are continuing to uncover the full extent of the alleged fraud, identify all those involved and determine whether more people were part of the scheme.
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Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia
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