Man posing as govt official booked for Rs 40L fraud

Lucknow: A man and his brother from Lucknow lodged FIR against a man posing as senior home department official and cheating them of Rs 40 lakh with promise of securing govt contracts and employment. The accused, identified as Sarvesh Kumar Yadav of Nawabganj, Barabanki, used fake identity cards and official emblems on vehicles to win confidence of targets.Itesh Kumar and his brother Saurabh complained that Yadav lived as a tenant on the floor above their rented accommodation in Vinit Khand, Gomtinagar and introduced himself as "S K Singh, secretary in home department, UP Secretariat." He claimed to be posted in Lucknow and hailing from Gorakhpur and lived with his wife and children.The brothers were assured Yadav could help them secure govt canteen tenders, parking tenders and even govt jobs in exchange for money and they transferred Rs 40 lakh into bank accounts of Suraj Kumar, Durgesh Kumar Verma, Jafar, Karuna Shankar, Sumit Kumar, Shubham Kumar and Dhanman Singh.Screenshots of cash transfers were attached to FIR. Some payments were in cash at their residence and at Uttarakhand Bhawan, Vibhuti Khand, where the accused called them for "official meetings".Sarvesh was often accompanied by Sandeep Awasthi, who posed as review officer in Secretariat and Ankita, introduced as the latter's PA and both assured them govt files were under process. Sarvesh issued a cheque of Rs 1 lakh, dated Aug 24, 2024 and another on Jun 2 and handed over four cheques promising to return the entire amount by Jun 30. One cheque deposited on Jun 21 bounced. Officials of the private bank said Sarvesh's account was inactive for a year and had insufficient balance. By then, he had vacated his rented accommodation, stopped answering calls and disappeared. Sarvesh used many phone numbers for WhatsApp calls and texts.It also came to light that Sarvesh was arrested in 2019 for similar scam in a case filed on complaint by a retired judge and he was also found using a vehicle with fake number plate. DCP, East Zone, Shashank Singh, said FIR under charges of BNS 318 (4) (cheating) had been lodged.

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