Indore police arrest man over fake IAS identity and unpaid hotel bill

Indore police arrested a 28-year-old Ahmedabad man for allegedly posing as an IAS officer and leaving a five-star hotel without paying for a party. Police found a fake “District Collector” nameplate at his rented house. He already faces a cheating case

Indore: Police have arrested a 28-year-old man who posed as an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore and left a five-star hotel without paying the bill for a party hosted by him, officials said on Thursday.

The imposter had also put a fake nameplate with the ‘District Collector’ designation at his house, they said. The accused has been identified as Himanshu Panchal, a resident of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Assistant Commissioner of Police Parag Saini said.

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Panchal recently hosted a party for 16 persons at a five-star hotel in Indore. At the time of settling the bill, he flaunted authority by claiming to be an IAS officer and walked out of the hotel. Panchal told the hotel staff that his personal assistant (PA) would clear the bill after two hours, Saini said.

Following a complaint, police reached Panchal’s rented house in the Lasudia police station area and found a fake nameplate outside the house bearing the name “IAS Raj Soni” and the designation “District Collector”, he said.

During questioning, Panchal failed to produce any document to establish that he was an IAS officer, the official said. The accused was arrested on Wednesday and booked under Section 204 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with personating a public servant, Saini said. Panchal already has a cheating case registered against him in Gujarat, and a detailed investigation is underway, he added.