Gullible people often become easy targets of scammers. This happened to a youngster from Bihar whose desire to become a civil servant was exploited by unscrupulous fraudsters. They handed him forged Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) results and a fake selection letter. Armed with these documents, he reached the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie to begin his training as an IAS officer, only to get the rude shock of life after discovering that he had been duped by cybercriminals.
28-year-old Pushpesh Singh is a resident of Chhapra in Bihar and works for a private company in Gurgaon. He holds a degree and had no reason to suspect anything was wrong until he was turned away at the IAS academy’s gate and an FIR was lodged.
He told police he was contacted by unknown persons claiming to be from UPSC. Later Singh took a fake online exam and was declared selected. He received a forged merit list and training schedule on WhatsApp. Fully convinced of his selection, he paid Rs 30,000 to the accused before heading for Mussoorie along with his parents for training.
He was stopped by LBSNAA officials at the entrance. A police team reached the spot, and after verifying the documents and questioning him, found he had fallen prey to an elaborate scam. The local intelligence unit and Intelligence Bureau (IB) were also informed.
Even Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajai Singh said the documents appeared genuine at first glance, with official stamps and rank listings.
As the fraud occurred in Gurgaon, police registered a zero FIR under BNS section 318(4) (cheating) at the Mussoorie police station.
According to the SSP, the case has been transferred to Gurgaon police, which will now carry out the investigation.
This is not an isolated case but follows a pattern of similar cybercrimes targeting civil service aspirants, particularly those from smaller towns. A similar case had been reported in May 2023, from Jharkhand, where police uncovered a racket offering fake IPS postings for Rs 2 lakh. The modus operandi of thugs is fixed: luring aspirants with fabricated examinations, results, and appointment letters designed to resemble official UPSC documents.
Despite the UPSC’s repeated advisories asking candidates to verify results and communication only through its official website, many aspirants remain vulnerable to online fraud.
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