Man poses as IAS officer in MP's Indore, parties at five-star hotel, leaves without paying bill; arrested

Police arrested a man, 28, who posed as an IAS officer in Indore and left a five-star hotel without paying the bill for a party.

In an elaborate impersonation case in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, a 28-year-old man posing as an IAS officer left a five-star hotel without paying for a party he hosted. The police have since arrested him.

At Panchal's rented house in the Lasudia police station area, the police found a fake nameplate outside the house with the name "IAS Raj Soni," designation "District Collector." (Representative Image (Sakib Ali/HT))

Assistant Commissioner of Police Parag Saini informed that the accused was identified as Himanshu Panchal, a resident of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, according to news agency PTI. Police arrested the accused on Wednesday and booked him under Section 204 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for allegedly impersonating a public servant.

Five-star ruse and a fake IAS officer

The police said that the accused hosted a party at a five-star hotel in Indore for 16 guests.

However, when it was time to pay for the party, Panchal flaunted authority and walked out without settling the bill. He even told the staff that his personal assistant (PA) would clear the bill after two hours.

At Panchal's rented house in the Lasudia police station area, the police found a fake nameplate outside the house with the name "IAS Raj Soni," designation "District Collector."

However, when the police questioned him, he could not produce any document to verify that he was an IAS officer.

Saini also added that the accused also has a cheating case registered against him in Gujarat. Further investigation into the matter is underway.

Man poses as IAS officer, claims links to NSA

In a separate incident in August, a man allegedly posed as an IAS officer and claimed to have links with National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval.

Following this, he was arrested in Khagaria district of Bihar.

In the course of the investigation, police had recovered a Tesla car, an SUV, and more than 31 litres of imported liquor from his residence.

According to the police, the accused had allegedly been posing as a senior government official and was involved in fraudulent activities in Bihar.

(with inputs from PTI)