Hyderabad: In a dramatic breakthrough, the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police have arrested a 19-year-old man from Rajasthan for allegedly posing as senior IAS and IPS officers on Facebook and defrauding their acquaintances. The suspect, identified as Arbaj Khan from Bahadurpur Patti Meeran village in Alwar district, reportedly created a web of fake social media accounts to dupe unsuspecting friends and colleagues of prominent government officials.
The arrest was made following a complaint lodged by a senior bureaucrat on May 12. The official had discovered a fake Facebook profile created in his name that was sending friend requests and soliciting money from his contacts. The fraudulent accounts not only carried his photographs but also misrepresented him as a CRPF officer, sending out misleading messages that severely damaged his reputation.
Investigators revealed that Khan’s operation was far from an isolated incident. Using fake display pictures and names of senior IAS and IPS officers, he would befriend their colleagues on Facebook and WhatsApp and then con them into sending money. His digital masquerade included multiple fake profiles each carefully crafted to resemble genuine officials spreading his net wide enough to entangle several victims.
Police identified at least five fake profiles linked to Khan:
- https://www.facebook.com/ias.544594
- https://www.facebook.com/vishal.tonde.758
- https://www.facebook.com/navin.mittal.814104
- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100041803909447
- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564331407054
Officers said Khan’s schemes were disturbingly effective in exploiting the trust placed in senior officials. “He made it appear as though these were genuine accounts of respected officers, and then shamelessly asked for money,” an investigator explained.
The suspect was found to be involved in two cases in Telangana, including a case at Alwal Police Station, Cyberabad Commissionerate, under Cr.No. 401-2025. He faces charges under various sections of the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for identity theft and fraud.
During the operation, police seized a mobile phone believed to be the main tool used in Khan’s digital deception. The team, led by Inspector of Police N Ramu, included SIs Vinay Kumar and Ambica, along with constables S. Ravi Kumar, B. Naresh, S. Nishanth, M. Sammaiah, and T. Bhagya from the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police Station.
Officials have urged the public to exercise caution while responding to messages or friend requests on social media, especially those purporting to be from senior government officers. Citizens are advised to verify such communications through official channels and to never send money without confirming the legitimacy of the sender.
Victims of similar frauds can seek help by dialling 1930 or by visiting the cybercrime portal at https://cybercrime.gov.in/.
