Police have arrested a cunning thug in Hardoi, UP. He cheated two women officers of lakhs of rupees by posing as an IAS officer on a matrimonial site. The name of the accused is Harikash Pandey. Harikash had created a fake profile in the name of his disabled brother Mukesh Kumar Pandey.
Harikash contacted the women officers by posing as the Joint Magistrate of Hardoi. Investigation revealed that the accused had prepared fake appointment letters, PAN cards and bank passbooks. On February 11, 2024, he contacted a victim and got Rs 1 lakh in cash and Rs 1.23 lakh transferred online on the pretext of not getting a new appointment and salary. After this, he made a false story of transfer from Hardoi to Kasganj.
Fake IAS officer Harikash is a resident of Bhagwanpur Mufarid village in Pratapgarh district. The accused used to cheat women officers by pretending to be an IAS officer and promising marriage. Police say that the accused created a fake profile on shaadi.com. He claimed to be a joint magistrate posted in Hardoi. He lured a woman officer working in Unnao into marriage.
More than 1 lakh rupees transferred
On the pretext of not getting salary, he got 1 lakh cash and 1,23,253 rupees transferred online. After some time, the accused told the woman officer that he has been transferred from Hardoi to Kasganj. This made the woman officer suspicious. When she investigated, she found out that there is no joint magistrate of this name in Hardoi. After this, she lodged a complaint in the cyber police station. During investigation, the police came to know that the accused had cheated a woman officer in Lucknow in the same way. The police arrested him. Fake IAS appointment letter, PAN card, passbook and edited photo with DM Hardoi were recovered from him.
Also threatened to kill
According to SP Neeraj Kumar Jadoun, the accused also made a woman officer from a neighboring district and another woman officer posted in Lucknow his victim. The matter came to light when the victim asked for her money back and the accused threatened to kill her. The police is now investigating other crimes committed by the accused. Accused Harikesh Pandey said, ‘At that time my younger brother was unwell. In such a situation, I took money from the woman officer by telling her that I was an IAS. I had also borrowed that too. I had taken Rs 1.52 lakh. I had told her that I would return the money.’ Now further action is going on against the accused.
