Gopalganj: A cyber fraudster in Bihar allegedly impersonated an officer from the chief minister’s secretariat and attempted to influence a police appointment, officials said.
The incident came to light in Gopalganj district after the superintendent of police (SP), Awadhesh Dixit, received a call and WhatsApp messages from someone claiming to be Dr Gopal Singh, an officer on special duty (OSD) in the chief minister’s office. The caller recommended that a sub-inspector be promoted to the post of station house officer (SHO).
According to police sources, the first message was received on August 12 at around 7pm. Suspicious of the request, the SP alerted the cyber police station and ordered an investigation.
DSP Avantika Dilip Kumar, who heads the cyber police station, said a technical probe revealed the calls and messages were fake. Initial findings suggested the fraud may have been the work of an organised gang rather than a lone individual. An FIR has been registered under charges of forgery, fraud and cyber crime, and police say they have identified the sender of the messages.
The inspector whose name was recommended for the post is also under scrutiny, with investigators seeking to establish whether he was complicit or whether his name was misused without his knowledge.
SP Dixit warned that attempts to manipulate the police system through fraudulent means would be dealt with firmly. “Such fake lobbying will not be tolerated at any level. Those behind it will face the harshest punishment,” he said.
