Bengaluru: Man held for posing as IAS officer, cheating chemist of Rs 41 lakh

The Amruthahalli police in Bengaluru on Thursday arrested a man for allegedly cheating a medical shop owner of Rs 41 lakh by posing as an IAS officer.

The accused has been identified as Mithun, a native of Kadur in Chikkamagaluru district, a report by The Indian Express said.

The victim Satish G R, owner of Shreyas Medicals, has accused Mithun of claiming to be a 2023-batch IAS officer and projecting himself as a senior official associated with the National Health Mission (NHM).

According to the complaint, Mithun was introduced to Satish through the district surgeon, Dr Chandrashekar. The accused promised to secure a medicine supply order worth Rs 1.8 crore for primary health centres and demanded a 20 per cent commission.

On January 18, the complainant paid Rs 36 lakh in cash to the accused. He later transferred Rs 5 lakh more online to a bank account provided by the accused, bringing the total to Rs 41 lakh.

However, when the order was not received even after several days and repeated follow-ups, the complainant grew suspicious. It was later discovered that Mithun is not an IAS officer.

He is also accused of misusing the name of a Bengaluru deputy commissioner of police to boost his credibility.

Based on the complaint, the police registered a case and arrested the accused. Further probe in the matter is underway.