Tesla, luxury bungalow: ‘IAS’ fraudster arrested | Patna News

Patna: A Tesla Model Y, govt signboards, a swimming pool, a personal theatre and 29 foreign liquor brands — police say the extravagant lifestyle of a man posing as an IAS officer has stunned residents of economically backward Khagaria. Manish Gupta, arrested on Aug 8 night, also allegedly claimed to be an undercover agent answerable to national security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval.Gupta was sent to jail after being produced in court on Monday. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) has also been informed to probe his assets and alleged links, police said.Khagaria SP Bhanu Pratap Singh said, “The seized Tesla car is not driverless as such vehicles have not been approved in India yet. The Tesla had driver-assist features that help keep the car in lane, control speed according to traffic, and apply brakes if a vehicle or obstacle comes ahead. It costs around Rs 70 lakh and the brand has showrooms currently in only Delhi, Gurugram and Mumbai.”Gupta, a resident of Jamalpur in the Gogri police station area of Khagaria, is also linked to Delhi and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.“Gupta seems to have duped people in Bihar, Delhi, Ghaziabad and other states. His brother lives in Canada and had recently visited India some days ago. It appears that the entire fraud network was run by both brothers,” the SP said.Police recovered a fake identity card identifying Gupta as an IAS officer and CVC official. After his arrest, he allegedly tried to bluff police by claiming to be an undercover agent posted in Bihar and answerable to the NSA.A 12-member team, including the DIU (district intelligence unit) and STF, kept surveillance on his bungalow, ‘Parmeshwari Bhavan’, in Jamalpur bazaar for about a week before raiding it on Aug 8 night following a tip-off.“During the raid, police recovered a Tesla Model Y and a Tata Safari with ‘Government of India’ and ‘IAS’ boards, 31 litres of foreign liquor and beer, 5 Apple iPhones, 2 MacBooks, 20 credit cards, 8 debit cards, 4 chequebooks, alleged fake identity cards, and antlers of barasingha and deer,” Singh said.The bungalow, spread over about half an acre, had a swimming pool, personal theatre, Italian tiles and more than 25 CCTV cameras. Police also recovered expensive branded clothes, luxury items, imported dry fruits and electronic gadgets. They said Gupta owned property worth crores.Initial findings suggest Gupta also took money in Delhi and Ghaziabad in the name of providing jobs. Police are examining his bank accounts, assets, foreign contacts and other financial transactions.