Banaskantha: The Local Crime Branch (LCB) has apprehended Shivkumar Vishnoi from Haryana for creating a fake Instagram profile impersonating the Banaskantha district collector and exploiting it to extort money. He even engaged in inappropriate conversations with multiple girls via chat.

According to the details of the case, the accused forged a fake Instagram account impersonating Banaskantha District Collector Varun Baranwal. Using this fraudulent identity, the individual messaged people and coerced them into providing money under the pretext of financial need. Posing as a collector, the accused also offered job opportunities and took advantage of innocent victims.

The impersonator sent indecent messages to numerous girls and women. In a specific incident, the individual approached a company in Palanpur using a fake Instagram ID, seeking employment for someone. The company, unaware of the forgery, considered hiring the person upon seeing the supposed collector’s ID. However, when the company’s manager contacted the real district collector to assess the individual’s suitability for the job, the entire scheme unravelled.

Upon realizing the extent of the deception and the harm it caused to innocent people, the district collector informed the Banaskantha Police. The Banaskantha LCB Police have now arrested the accused, 26-year-old Shivkumar Vishnoi from Fatehabad district, Haryana. It came to light that Vishnoi had created a fake ID of District Collector Varun Baranwal five years ago.

It has also been revealed that he was involved in running a fake ID under the name of 2016 batch Uttarakhand cadre IAS officer Neha Meena. DeshGujarat