Ahmedabad police have arrested a 29-year-old man for allegedly impersonating an IAS officer and using fake government letters to deceive people, an official reported on Sunday. Mehul Shah, an engineer managing two schools in Vankaner, Gujarat, is accused of defrauding individuals of large sums using forged documents and false claims.
According to inspector JK Makwana from the crime branch, Shah contacted Pratik Shah, a car rental business owner, pretending to be a high-ranking government official. He requested a vehicle fitted with a siren and curtains but failed to pay for the rental. Shah claimed to be a director in the revenue department and an IAS officer, presenting fabricated letters supposedly from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the “Department of Science and Research Development” to justify his request.
In another instance, Shah produced a fake appointment letter from the Ahmedabad District Education Officer, promising a government job for a complainant’s son. He also posed as a trustee of a school and fraudulently withheld Rs 7 lakh from a complainant after hiring them for a school building project.
Despite holding no official government position, Shah used forged documents, including fake work permits and NOCs, to cheat people out of substantial amounts. The police seized counterfeit identity cards and letters bearing names of non-existent departments and government titles.
An FIR has been filed based on complaints from three victims. Authorities have urged others who may have fallen victim to Shah’s scams to come forward and report their cases.
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