UP: Man fakes IAS selection, held; father suffers stroke

MEERUT: Siddharth Gautam, a resident of UP’s Hapur district, faked his selection in recently declared Civil Services examination and spent two days tirelessly participating in various felicitation ceremonies and giving interviews until he was arrested on Sunday.

Unable to deal with the shock, Gautam’s father, who works as a mason, suffered a heart attack and had to be admitted to hospital.

According to police, Gautam, who runs a computer centre in Hapur, had forged an allotment letter from the Union Public Service Commission which has the details of his namesake who had secured 532nd rank in the prestigious exam. As friends and wellwishers made a beeline outside his residence to congratulate him, his interviews detailing about how he achieved the feat appeared in several local and regional newspapers.

The genuine candidate happened to read one such interview, after which, he lodged a complaint with Meerut police. The complainant Siddharth Gautam is currently serving as Indian Railway Accounts Services (IRAS) officer after he cleared the Civil Services examination in 2016. He again cleared that exam in 2017 and had successfully appeared for the third time in 2018 where he secured the 532nd rank.

The local police began a probe in the case and eventually arrested Siddharth Gautam from his house in Hapur.

“He was arrested from his home and was brought to Meerut. An FIR for cheating was lodged at the Civil Lines police station. He was later released,” Meerut SSP Nitin Tiwari said. His elderly father, under shock of his son’s arrest, suffered a heart attack and was rushed to a local hospital.