Team Goemkarponn
CALANGUTE: A conman posing as a senior IAS officer since early December was arrested by the Calangute police. The accused, identified as Manoj Kumar, 31, a resident of Raipur, Madhya Pradesh, tried to extort a nightclub in Tito’s Lane and two shacks at Baga, according to the police.
Kumar arrived in Goa on December 5 and hired a taxi to reach Calangute, where he booked a room at Lambana Resort. During his stay, he introduced himself to the taxi driver as an IAS officer working in Odisha and claimed he would soon be transferred to Goa for official duties.
On December 20, Kumar returned to Goa after a brief absence and made contact with the same taxi driver. When Kumar behaved oddly around a police constable in the parking lot next to the Calangute Association Ground on December 26, suspicion was raised. Around 1.20 am, Kumar persuaded a police policeman to join him on a “inspection” of the Calangute area by presenting a forged IAS ID card.
After escorting the policeman to Baga Beach, Kumar went to two shacks and threatened to close them if the owners did not agree with his requests. He then went to well-known nightclubs in Tito’s Lane and threatened them by threatening to close or face harsh repercussions.
Pretending to be an IAS officer, Kumar left the employees off at their various sites after the inspection and went back to his hotel.
Kumar’s act started to fall apart when the shack owners complained to the police about the harassment they were receiving from the babu and the police. PI Through the cab driver, Paresh Naik and his group were able to track down the scammer and take him to the police station. He also began to show off at the police station, according to sources, but he quickly admitted to the scam.
He was taken into custody on Sunday, and the Calangute police have accused him with extortion and impersonation, among other offenses under the Indian Penal Code. According to police sources, he also made an online friend who agreed to marry him because she thought he was an IAS officer. When the truth came out, she was devastated. Investigations are still under progress.
