KHAGARIA: A man allegedly posing as an IAS officer and claiming to be an undercover agent working under National Security Advisor Ajit Doval was arrested in Bihar’s Khagaria district, police said on Monday.The accused, identified as Manish Gupta, was arrested from his residence in Jamalpur under the Gogri police station area following a tip-off, Khagaria SP Bhanu Pratap Singh said.Police said Gupta allegedly presented himself as a senior government official and was involved in fraudulent activities in different parts of Bihar.During interrogation, Gupta allegedly showed police a Central Vigilance Commission card and claimed that he worked as an undercover agent under Doval. He also produced an identity card identifying him as an IAS officer. Preliminary investigation, however, found the claims to be false, the SP said.A search of his residence led to the recovery of more than 31 litres of imported foreign liquor, a large quantity of beer, a Tesla car equipped with the Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature and displaying a ‘Government of India’ board, as well as a Tata Safari.Police also recovered five iPhones, 20 credit cards, eight debit cards, four cheque books and other articles from the premises.The Tesla, which has the FSD feature, is considered rare in India, Singh said. Police also found two horns allegedly belonging to a barasingha (swamp deer), possession of which is punishable under the Wildlife Protection Act.Police are now examining Gupta’s assets and properties with the help of specialised agencies, including the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police.“His assets appear to have been acquired through fraud, deception or corruption,” Singh said.The SP said a large-scale investigation would be conducted to determine the extent of the alleged fraud and impersonation, besides tracing the source of Gupta’s assets.
