Not a 'success' story: Bihar 'celebrated' youth arrested after falsely claiming UPSC rank 440

Ranjeet Yadav from Bihar’s Sheikhpura district has been arrested for falsely claiming AIR 440 in the exam

Days after falsely claiming to have secured All India Rank (AIR) 440 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025, a youth from Bihar’s Sheikhpura district has been arrested.

Ranjeet Yadav was taken into custody on Tuesday (March 17) after district authorities confirmed through document verification that he had not cleared the examination. In fact, the rank he claimed, AIR 440, actually belongs to Ranjith Kumar R from Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur district.

The case had initially drawn widespread local attention after Yadav’s claims of success began circulating in the district. According to reports, celebrations were held in his honour, with former MLA Vijay Samrat visiting his residence to felicitate him. He was also reportedly invited to a local police station, where officials congratulated him and offered sweets.

However, doubts soon emerged when discrepancies were noticed in his roll number and rank details. This prompted authorities to initiate a formal verification process. When contacted by the police for clarification, Yadav allegedly switched off his phone and left the village, raising further suspicion.

Meanwhile, several videos of him presenting himself as a successful UPSC candidate began circulating on social media. 

Following verifying that his claims were fake, the local police launched a search operation, eventually leading to his arrest on March 17.

Not a standalone incident

This incident is part of a concerning pattern that has emerged after the UPSC CSE 2025 results were declared on March 6. At least two other cases of false rank claims have been reported this year.

In one instance, confusion arose when two candidates named Akanksha Singh claimed AIR 301. The UPSC later clarified that the rank belonged to a candidate from Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. In another case, a candidate from Uttar Pradesh who had claimed AIR 113 later admitted that the claim was false after a district-level inquiry revealed she had not qualified the Mains examination.