Patna: A couple accused of impersonating senior bureaucrats and defrauding a contractor of more than Rs 34 lakh have been arrested in Bihar’s Madhepura district, police said, in a case that investigators describe as unusually elaborate.
According to officials, the accused – identified as Sunny Kumar Rai and his wife Shraddhanjali Devi – allegedly posed as a high-ranking IAS officer and her security detail, using forged insignia, a luxury vehicle and even access to a cabin within the state’s Cabinet Secretariat complex in Patna to build credibility.
The case came to light after the victim, contractor Narayan Yadav, filed a complaint alleging he had been promised a government contract in exchange for payments made over two months. Police said the couple collected Rs 3,474,000 under the pretext of facilitating the tender.
Yadav told investigators he first encountered the woman during a religious gathering in Singheshwar in 2025, where she arrived in a vehicle bearing a sign identifying her as a senior official in Bihar’s general administration department. Introduced by a man posing as her bodyguard, she allegedly summoned him to Patna for further discussions.
#BiharPolice की ठगी करने वालों के विरुद्ध कठोर कार्रवाई …
मधेपुरा ज़िले में फर्जी ऑफिसर बनकर 34,74,000 रूपया का ठगी करने के आरोप में दो व्यक्ति को किया गया गिरफ्तार |
.
.#HainTaiyaarHum #bihar @MadhepuraPolice @BiharHomeDept pic.twitter.com/FQdPVShOC2— Bihar Police (@bihar_police) April 8, 2026
Subsequent meetings, including one held in a cabin within the Cabinet Secretariat premises, convinced Yadav that the offer was genuine. “There was no reason to suspect anything,” he said, adding that he transferred money whenever requested, believing the contract was assured.
Police said the deception continued for nearly two months, with repeated demands for funds. Doubts emerged only when the promised contract failed to materialise and the accused began avoiding direct contact.
The scam began to unravel after Yadav asked for proof of the couple’s whereabouts during a trip they claimed to have made to Deoghar. Instead of a live video, he received photographs – including one showing the supposed bodyguard in an overly familiar pose with the woman posing as an officer. The image raised suspicions.
Seeking verification, Yadav travelled to Patna and visited the residence of the real officials whose identities had allegedly been used. Security staff confirmed the individuals in the photographs were not who they claimed to be. After meeting the actual occupants, Yadav realised he had been defrauded and approached police.
“Sunny Kumar Rai would present his wife as a fake IAS officer while he acted as her bodyguard. They used a vehicle with a fake government insignia to mislead people,” said Manoj Mohan, deputy superintendent of police (headquarters), Madhepura.
Following the complaint, police arrested both accused in Patna and seized a vehicle bearing official markings along with a mobile phone. They have been remanded to judicial custody.
Investigators are now examining whether others were similarly targeted. Police said preliminary information suggests prior fraud cases may already be registered against Rai.
Vimalendu Kumar, station house officer of Sadar police station, said further interrogation is under way. “We are trying to establish the full extent of the network and identify any additional victims,” he said.
