Woman falls prey to fake IAS officer’s marriage promise

Kanpur: A Kalyanpur woman has accused a fraudster of duping her of Rs 75 lakh in cash and jewellery, claiming he had been selected for the IAS and would marry her.The victim has filed a complaint against four people, naming Nitesh Pandey, Diwakar Mishra alias Satyam, Jitesh Pandey and Akanksha, and alleged that the accused later threatened her with a knife and warned that he would circulate her private photos and defame her.According to the woman, she had an old acquaintance with the family of Diwakar Mishra alias Satyam, a resident of Shuklaganj. Through Diwakar, she met Nitesh Pandey of Chakeri, who befriended her, claiming to be a bank field officer.She claimed Nitesh later sent a fake UPSC email to her WhatsApp, saying he had cleared the IAS and would soon be SDM. He also promised to marry her, telling her he had an interview pending.The woman claimed Nitesh told her he would need to shell out lakhs for his selection, with his brother Jitesh Pandey and sister-in-law Akanksha backing him up. When she mentioned this to Diwakar, he allegedly said it would make their married life happy if she helped out.She alleged that she gave Rs 3.50 lakh to Nitesh in 2025, and when he asked for Rs 35 lakh more, she gave Rs 23 lakh kept at home. She said Nitesh still claimed the money was less and told her that if the full amount was not given, the deposited money would be lost.Out of fear, she said she mortgaged silver items and gave money, and later also gave about 450 grams of gold jewellery. In this way, she alleged, jewellery and cash worth about Rs 75 lakh were given to Nitesh. She said Nitesh also gave cheques for security.She claimed Nitesh sent a fake appointment letter on WhatsApp, claiming he'd been posted as Kanpur's district magistrate. Later, he went radio silent, saying he was at training, and she grew suspicious as his behaviour shifted.The woman claimed Nitesh stormed into her house on Oct 14, 2024, brandishing a knife, and threatened to fr.rame her in fake cases, hurling abuses. He also warned he'd circulate private photos to defame her.ACP Kalyanpur Ashutosh Kumar said action would be taken after investigation.