Motihari: A senior government officer in East Champaran district narrowly avoided falling victim to an audacious scam after a man posing as a high-ranking vigilance official demanded Rs 15 lakh in exchange for dropping alleged corruption charges.
Rupam Rani, the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) of Kesariya, reported the incident to local police after receiving threatening calls on January 2. The caller, who identified himself as “Harshit Kumar”, claimed that a female supervisor caught accepting a bribe in December had implicated Ms Rani. He demanded the payment within ten minutes, warning that failure to comply would result in vigilance action against her and her staff.
The alleged conman initially contacted the CDPO via the district’s confidential branch landline and later switched to WhatsApp to exert pressure, even sending a QR code to facilitate payment. When Ms Rani indicated she could not pay Rs 15 lakh, the fraudster reduced his demand to Rs 15,000.
Ms Rani, however, did not yield to the threats. She immediately verified the identity of the purported vigilance officer with DSP Vinod Pandey, who confirmed that no such officer existed. Acting on his guidance, she filed a formal complaint at Kesariya police station, prompting a technical investigation. Police are now tracing the suspect through the mobile number and WhatsApp communications.
The incident has sparked concern among administrative circles, highlighting a growing trend in which con artists impersonate senior officials to extort money, even from government employees.
Kesariya police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the fake officer and are continuing their efforts to apprehend the perpetrator.
