A man who allegedly posed as an IAS officer and reportedly claimed to have links with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was arrested in Bihar’s Khagaria district, with police recovering a Tesla car, an SUV, more than 31 litres of imported liquor and other luxury items from his residence.
The accused, Manish Gupta, was arrested on Sunday after police received information about his alleged activities, news agency PTI reported. Gupta is a resident of Jamalpur under the Gogri police station area, Khagaria SP Bhanu Pratap Singh said.
Police said Gupta had allegedly been presenting himself as a senior government official and was involved in fraudulent activities in different parts of Bihar. A raid was conducted at his residence based on a tip-off, leading to his arrest and the recovery of several items.
Tesla, luxury vehicles among items seized
The police recovered a Tesla car equipped with a full self-driving feature and a Tata Safari from Gupta’s residence. The Tesla was reportedly carrying a ‘Government of India’ board, according to the police.
{{/usCountry}}The police recovered a Tesla car equipped with a full self-driving feature and a Tata Safari from Gupta’s residence. The Tesla was reportedly carrying a ‘Government of India’ board, according to the police.
{{/usCountry}}The seizure also included more than 31 litres of imported foreign liquor, a large quantity of beer, five iPhones, 20 credit cards, eight debit cards and four cheque-books.
Police said the Tesla’s full self-driving feature made it unusual in India.
"The Tesla car with full self-driving technology feature is a rarity in India. We also recovered two horns of a barasingha (swamp deer), possession of which is punishable under the Wildlife Protection Act," SP Singh said, according to PTI.
The recovery of the two barasingha horns has also been included in the investigation, with police examining the circumstances surrounding their possession.
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Gupta claimed to work under Ajit Doval
During interrogation, Gupta allegedly showed police a card bearing the details of the Central Vigilance Commission and claimed that he worked as an undercover agent under Doval.
He also produced an identity card that identified him as an IAS officer. Police said preliminary inquiries found that both claims were false.
"During interrogation, Gupta showed a card of the Central Vigilance Commission and claimed that he worked as an undercover agent under National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He also showed an identity card mentioning him to be an IAS officer. Preliminary investigation showed that all these claims were fake," the SP added as cited by PTI.
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Police probe source of Gupta’s assets
Following the arrest, police have begun examining Gupta’s financial assets and properties. The investigation is being carried out with the assistance of specialised agencies, including the Economic Offences Unit of the Bihar Police.
Officials are looking into how Gupta acquired the assets and whether they were connected to the alleged fraudulent activities.
"The assets he acquired were through fraud, deception, or corruption," Singh said.
Police reportedly said the investigation will cover the alleged fraud as well as the source of Gupta’s assets. The authorities are also examining the documents and other material recovered from his residence as part of the probe.
The police said a large-scale investigation would be conducted to establish the extent of the alleged fraudulent activities and impersonation to determine whether Gupta had used his claimed government connections to deceive people or institutions.
(With inputs from PTI)