Man held for impersonating IAS officer, using forged cheque to buy mobile phone

The accused, identified as Abhay Bahl, was arrested on Saturday.

Bahl, a resident of Noida, first called up an employee at the Samsung showroom in South Extension-2 and introduced himself as a senior official of the company, they said.

He told the employee that one of his friends, who is an IAS officer, would come in the evening to buy a new mobile phone worth Rs 1.4 lakh from the showroom, police said.

After talking to his seniors about the call, the employee immediately informed police, following which they arrested Bahl when he had come to purchase the mobile phone in the evening.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said, "Our team which was deployed near Ring Road Samsung showroom South Extension-2 apprehended the accused when he came and approached the showroom manager to get a mobile phone worth Rs 1.4 lakh with a fake cheque."

A case was registered under section 419 (Punishment for cheating by personation) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code at Hauz Khas police station, the DCP said.

Bahl used to work in a private company and he recently lost his job during the Covid crisis, according to the police.