UP Police Arrest Notorious Criminal for Impersonating CM’s Secretary

In a significant operation by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police, a notorious individual was apprehended on Sunday for allegedly impersonating an influential government position. The accused, identified as Vivek Sharma, also known by the alias Bantu Chaudhary, is accused of duping government officials and the general populace through fraudulent phone calls, claiming to be the secretary to the Chief Minister.

The arrest took place in the Basti district, shedding light on the deceptive practices employed by Sharma to exploit administrative officials. According to police sources, Sharma recently attempted to deceive the district magistrate and chief development officer of Basti by contacting them through their official numbers under the guise of the Chief Minister's secretary.

Further investigations revealed that Sharma's mobile number was registered on the caller identification app True-Caller as "Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath", adding a layer of credibility to his deceitful acts. The authorities have charged Sharma with multiple offenses, including cheating by personation, cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, extortion, and criminal intimidation by anonymous communication under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). These charges were filed at Basti’s Kotwali police station.

Sharma's criminal activities are not confined to Basti alone. The STF statement highlighted that several cases have been registered against him across multiple districts including Aligarh, Balrampur, Mathura, Kanpur Nagar, and Hardoi for similar fraudulent activities. The ongoing interrogation of Vivek Sharma aims to uncover further details about his operations and potentially link him to more unsolved cases of fraud.

This arrest underscores the vigilance of the Uttar Pradesh Police in combating fraud and protecting citizens from such deceptive practices. It also serves as a cautionary tale about the sophisticated methods employed by individuals to exploit positions of authority for personal gain.