Man arrested for falsely claiming UPSC rank 440

Patna: A resident of Sheikhpura district in Bihar was arrested on Tuesday for falsely claiming to have secured the 440th rank in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025, the results of which were declared on March 6.

The man, Ranjeet Kumar, had been receiving attention and praise from locals, political leaders and even police officers before his claim was found to be false.

His announcement triggered celebrations in his Fatehpur village under Ariyari block. Local leaders, including former RJD MLA Vijay Samrat, and police officers visited his house to congratulate him. He was even invited to the police station, where he was honoured with sweets and flowers.

However, when the results were verified, it emerged that the 440th rank actually belonged to Ranjith Kumar R from Chikkaballapur in Karnataka.

In a motivational video that later went viral, Kumar had spoken about perseverance and success.

“Life is a long journey, but there is only one test in it — to keep your focus on the goal... Work so hard that one day destiny itself says: ‘Even if I was late, I always belonged to you’,” he said in the video while presenting himself as a successful candidate.

Once the deception came to light, the police launched a search for him. He was later arrested from Sheikhpura town.

“The accused has been arrested and is being questioned. The entire case is being investigated, and further legal action will be taken. We are also investigating if any other person is involved in it,” said Rakesh Kumar, deputy superintendent of police, Sheikhpura.

Earlier, another UPSC aspirant, Akansha Singh from Bhojpur, had also claimed to have secured the 301st rank in the examination. However, the UPSC later clarified that the candidate who had actually secured that rank was another person from Ghazipur district in Uttar Pradesh.