A vehicle displaying a high-ranking government official’s number plate was intercepted on suspicion by the police in Khambhaliya, Devbhoomi Dwarka district, which  led to the arrest of yet another fake official in Gujarat on March 22.

Eight cases of cheating, forgery and violations under the Arms Act were lodged within hours against 25-year-old Jheel Panchmatiya who was arrested along with his associate.

Authorities confiscated several forged government documents, including fake number plates, identity cards, and letterheads.

Panchmatiya, a resident of Ramnath Society in Khambhaliya, attached a plate to his taxi-passing car (GJ-03 KP 9113) falsely identifying himself as an Additional Collector and Additional District Magistrate (ADM) (Probation).

At the rear of the vehicle, a red reflective sticker displayed another misleading title: RSC & ADM (Probation). Upon investigation, police confirmed that Panchmatiya held no official government position. 

However, he fraudulently used a Class 1 officer’s designation and installed a red beacon on his vehicle. 

Tale of fraud

It was discovered that the accused had duped a family in Rajkot of nearly ₹50 lakh by posing as a senior government officer.

According to Devbhoomi Dwarka district police, Panchmatiya had previously deceived a 55-year-old Ketan Desai from Junagadh.

Ketan Desai’s son, Shivraj, had secured admission to a physiotherapy course in Jamnagar.

In December 2023, Panchmatiya visited their home in a vehicle bearing a ‘Government of Gujarat’ signboard and introduced himself as an Additional Dean of MP Shah Medical College.

Gaining their trust, he took an advance payment of ₹55,000 on December 14, 2023, promising to secure an MBBS seat for Shivraj.

Later, on December 27, 2023, he extracted ₹9.5 lakh in the name of medical bond payments.

Furthermore, he took ₹9 lakh from Ketan Desai’s daughter, Kesha, promising her a job at the Mamlatdar’s office.

In total, Panchmatiya swindled Ketan Desai out of ₹48,22,980 over multiple payments.

During police interrogation, two fake identity cards were recovered from Panchmatiya’s house – one card identifying him as a Superintendent in the Emergency Division of the Government of India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Another card bore the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare’s logo along with an official email ID under his name and title. However, investigations confirmed both ID cards were counterfeit.

Additionally, police recovered two authority letters: One letter from the Government of India’s Emergency Division stated that he was authorised to use his SUV car (GJ-37 M 2816) during emergencies.

This letter was stamped with the Ashoka Emblem and bore a forged signature.

Arms Act violation 

Upon searching his residence, the police found–

• A pistol with a magazine and seven live cartridges
• A 2020 letter from the CID (Crime & Railway) office of the Director General of Police, Gandhinagar

As a result, the police registered a separate case under the Arms Act against him.

Legal proceedings underway

The case has raised concerns about fraudulent activities involving fake government identities and deception for financial gain. Authorities are continuing their investigation to uncover additional victims and accomplices in Panchmatiya’s elaborate scam.

As per reports, Panchmatiya used to attend government meetings posing as an official and kept photos of politicians with him during the meeting.

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Man posing as UK-based doctor scams Ahmedabad woman of ₹73k