Gorakhpur (UP), March 24 A man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly impersonating an IAS officer to marry a woman and defraud her family of Rs 15 lakh, police said.
The complainant alleged that his daughter came across the profile of the accused, Pritam Nishad alias Arjun Singh (30), from Etah district, on an Instagram matrimonial group.
In the profile, he claimed to be an IAS officer of the Manipur cadre, currently posted in Manikpur. The accused shared photographs and interview videos to gain the family's trust, police said.
Nishad got engaged to the woman on November 20, 2025, in Etawah, while the wedding took place on March 11, 2026, at a marriage hall in Gorakhpur.
He then demanded Rs 15 lakh for wedding expenses, of which Rs 10 lakh was paid in advance and Rs 5 lakh on the wedding day, police added.
Suspicion arose after the bride's family visited her after the wedding and found that the accused falsely claimed his identity. Police said that based on the woman’s complaint, a case was registered.
Superintendent of Police (City) Nimish Patil said, "The complainant informed the Cantt police that a person impersonating as an IAS officer had married his daughter. An FIR was registered last week, and the accused was arrested on Tuesday.”
“During questioning, Nishad admitted that he had never appeared for the UPSC exam and had a BSc background. His motive was to earn money and gain respect by posing as an IAS officer. Further investigation is underway," the officer said.
A case was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 319(2) (cheating by personation), 318(4) (cheating), 75(1) (i) and 75(1) (ii) (sexual harassment), 204 (personating a public servant), 338 (forgery of valuable security, will etc), 336(3) (forgery) and 340(2) (forged document or electronic record and using it as genuine), police said.