Man poses as IPS officer, dupes Nashik businessman of Rs 1 crore; arrested

A 37-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly posing as an IPS officer and duping a businessman of Rs 1 crore in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, police said on Monday.

According to the police, the accused, Gaurav Ramachheshwar Mishra, allegedly wore a police uniform, travelled in a vehicle with a beacon and used a fake identity card of the inspector general in Indian Railway Board.

The accused got acquainted with the complainant in 2018 and earned his faith. He promised the businessman a railway contract and took Rs 1 crore for various reasons, an official said.

Realising that Mishra had cheated him, the complainant demanded his money back. The accused called him to a hotel on October 13 and threatened him with a revolver, he said.

The accused also demanded Rs 5 lakh per month as extortion money and threatened to register fake rape cases against him using his influence in the police department, the official said.

He said based on a complaint lodged on Sunday, Mishra was arrested and booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.