Man With Codename "Chanakya", Cheats People By Promising Jobs; Arrested In Maharashtra

The Maharashtra Police has arrested a man who posed as an officer of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) bearing code name "Chanakya" and duped people by promising jobs in the income tax department and armed forces, officials said here on Friday.

The arrest, based on a tip-off from the military intelligence unit of the army's southern command, came months after Kiran Patel, a conman from Gujarat was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police for posing as an official in the prime minister's office (PMO).

Santosh Aatmaram Rathore, 35, was arrested from a rented accommodation in Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra where he stayed with his girlfriend, they said.

Officials said a forged ID card from R&AW and an Aadhaar card were recovered from his possession.

The designation mentioned in the fake identity card was deputy secretary (internal security) with his code name "Chanakya", they said.

Military intelligence officials had tipped the local police about the presence of a person in Shevgaon in Ahmednagar who was posing as an agent of the RAW.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused was collecting money from locals on the pretext of helping them get jobs in the income tax department, armed forces and other government departments.

A fake letter of appointment from the Department of Personnel was also recovered from his possession.

He was being questioned by a joint team of police and military intelligence.

Earlier, Kiran Patel, a resident of Gujarat, was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in March this year for posing as an official in the PMO and enjoying security and other amenities. He had three cases of cheating registered against him in Gujarat.

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