MADURAI: Even though the State government has been issuing e-passes for weddings, a newly-wed man decided to take a creative route to get to his reception ceremony arranged in Kodaikanal as he did not have official permission.
When caught by the police en route, he claimed he was an IAS officer and produced his wedding invitation card as proof. He took the act a bit too far by even reprimanding the personnel on duty for mistreating him. The cops sent him home with a small gift - a fraud case registered against his name.
A resident of Kodaikanal, 26-year-old K Velumani married his girlfriend in Coimbatore before the lockdown began. However, the reception got delayed, and was finally scheduled to be held on June 19. He could not get an e-pass to reach Kodaikanal from Coimbatore, and he did not want to miss the ceremony either.
So he tried his luck by printing a fake designation on the invitation card, in which he designated himself as an IAS (trainee). When stopped by the police at a check-post on Dindigul main road, he flashed the card instead of an ID or e-pass.
The policemen on duty smelled something fishy. "When we asked him for his official ID, he started acting like he was offended. But, on seeing the card printed as IAS (trainee) we knew he was fake. However, probe revealed that he had not cheated anyone else in such fashion. He had pulled this trick only out of desperation to get to the reception," said Koodal Pudur Inspector Kathiravel.
"The bride also knew he was not an IAS officer. So we let him attend the function," the officer added. On Saturday, the man was arrested, a case booked and he was later released on bail, the police said.