Authorities in Jharkhand's Palamu district arrested 35-year-old Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Kukhi village, for impersonating a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer for approximately seven years. The deception began after Kumar failed the UPSC Civil Services examination four times, prompting him to fabricate his success to fulfill his father's longstanding aspiration for him to join the elite bureaucracy.

The case surfaced on January 2, 2026, when Kumar visited the Hussainabad police station to intervene in a land dispute involving a relative. He presented himself as a 2014-batch IAS officer from the Odisha cadre, currently serving as Chief Accounts Officer in Bhubaneswar, and referenced previous postings in Dehradun and Hyderabad. However, inconsistencies in his statements—initially claiming IAS status before switching to the equivalent Indian Posts and Telegraphs Accounts and Finance Service (IPTAFS)—aroused suspicion among officers.

Upon preliminary verification, the Hussainabad Sub-Divisional Police Officer confirmed that no individual matching Kumar's described profile existed in government records. Summoned for further questioning, Kumar could not provide authentic documents such as appointment letters or official identity proofs, leading to his confession of sustained impersonation directed primarily at deceiving family and relatives.

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A search of Kumar's person and vehicle yielded seized items including a counterfeit identity card, a fabricated government nameplate typically affixed to official cars, and other incriminating materials. Police registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, encompassing charges related to forgery, impersonation, and misleading public servants.

Kumar has been remanded to judicial custody as investigations continue into the full extent of his activities over the years. Officials noted that while the primary motive appeared personal rather than financial fraud, the incident highlights vulnerabilities in detecting prolonged impersonations of high-ranking government positions.

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