LUCKNOW: A man posing as an IRS officer was caught in the state capital, Lucknow, while trying to meet visiting Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha at his hotel in the city.
CM Saha, who was in Lucknow for a conference at King George’s Medical University (KGMU) and staying at a city hotel, was alerted when security personnel stopped the suspect.
The man, identifying himself as Prashant Mohan from Bihar, showed a fake ID card claiming he was an IRS officer. When the Chief Minister’s PSO denied him entry and informed the police, the accused attempted to check out of the hotel but pretended to have a heart attack as officers arrived.
He was immediately taken to Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, where doctors confirmed that he was faking the pain. The police then arrested him and recovered fake IRS and IAS ID cards. The incident took place on October 31.
According to the police, Prashant Mohan had been staying at the same hotel since October 30. On October 31, when Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha arrived to attend a conference at KGMU, both happened to be on the same floor of the hotel.
Claiming to be an Additional Commissioner posted in the Finance Ministry, Mohan approached the CM’s room. When security personnel stopped him, he presented his fake ID card. The CM’s security officers, suspecting foul play, denied him entry and immediately informed the Gomti Nagar police, who reached the hotel shortly thereafter.
The hotel management informed the police that the suspect was attempting to check out. When officers took him into custody, he suddenly began pretending to have a heart attack. He was taken to Lohia Hospital, where doctors declared him completely fit.
Subsequently, he was taken to the Vibhuti Khand police station, where the police recovered fake IRS and IAS ID cards, visiting cards, an iPhone, Aadhaar card, PAN card, a trolley bag, and ₹1,600 in cash from his possession.
According to police sources, the accused had arrived in a car fitted with a red-blue beacon light and had a driver accompanying him. When he was caught, the driver fled with the vehicle. Hotel staff stated that Mohan often boasted of being a relative of the Lucknow Police Commissioner.
Police said the accused used to meet politicians by impersonating an officer, getting his photos clicked with them, and then using those pictures to deceive others. He had reportedly attempted to do the same with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha.
Vibhuti Khand police station inspector Amar Singh said that the accused, Prashant Mohan, has been sent to jail, and an investigation into his criminal history is underway. Lucknow police have also sought assistance from their counterparts in Delhi and Bihar.
Preliminary information suggests that Prashant Mohan, a native of Bihar, used to teach UPSC coaching classes while residing in Shakarpur East, Delhi. He had also appeared for the civil services examination multiple times but failed to qualify.
