Etawah (UP), Aug 7 (PTI) A man impersonating a Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister was arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah on Thursday for attempting to influence a police investigation by pressuring officials to remove an officer from duty, police said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Brijesh Kumar Srivastava said the accused had been calling his official CUG number for the past two days, falsely identifying himself as Madhya Pradesh Energy Minister Pradhuman Singh Tomar.
The conman tried to exert pressure for the removal of the investigating officer in a case registered under Sahson Police Station.
The accused had created a fake Truecaller profile in the minister's name, which displayed during calls. However, the location of the caller was traced within Uttar Pradesh, raising suspicions, the SSP said.
The matter was assigned for investigation, digital evidence was collected and surveillance data on Thursday traced the suspect's location to the Kalivah temple area in the southern part of the city, the officer said.
"Acting swiftly, police arrested the accused, Ankit Singh Parihar, a resident of Piprauli Garhia under Sahson Police Station, from near Thandi Pulia on Gwalior Road," the SSP said.
"The mobile phone used to impersonate the minister was recovered from his possession. Examination of the device revealed multiple documents and Aadhaar card copies of other individuals, indicating his involvement in cyber fraud," he said.
Further investigation revealed that the accused had a criminal history. In 2018-19, he was booked in Gwalior's Maharajpur police station for uploading a photograph of himself in a police uniform with a sub-inspector nameplate on his Instagram profile. In 2016, he was booked under the Arms Act at Sahson police station.
The police said they are continuing their investigation into the extent of his fraudulent activities.