A man from Bihar’s Sheikhpura district, who falsely claimed to have secured a rank in the UPSC exams, has been arrested, police said on Tuesday, days after his claims triggered widespread celebrations in his village.
Sheikhpura Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Dr Rakesh Kumar said the case pertains to impersonation and deliberate misinformation. “The matter is of impersonation. He had declared himself a UPSC rank holder, but upon verification, it was found that Ranjeet Kumar had not actually appeared for the UPSC examination. Another individual with a similar name had qualified, and he misused that identity to project himself as a successful candidate,” Kumar said.
“He spread misleading information among local residents and even approached the local police station, claiming he had been selected in the UPSC. During verification, his falsehood was exposed. Based on the statement of the SHO, an FIR has been registered, and further legal action is being taken,” the officer said. He added that Kumar was arrested near College More. He was later released on a bond.
The arrest follows a sequence of events that began earlier this month, when the UPSC declared its final results on March 6. Shortly thereafter, Ranjeet Kumar, a resident of Fatehpur village under Mahuli police station in Ariyari block, claimed that he had secured All India Rank 440.
The announcement had sparked celebrations across the village and nearby areas. Kumar was felicitated at multiple events, where he was garlanded and presented with shawls, bouquets and gifts. He was introduced as a successful civil services candidate and held up as an example for local youth.
In speeches delivered during these gatherings, videos of which later circulated on social media, Kumar had spoken about perseverance, goal-setting and hard work. He had told people that “once a person clearly visualises their goal, the path to success becomes easier”, and cited former President APJ Abdul Kalam as an inspiration during his preparation journey.
Local political representatives had also joined the celebrations. Former RJD MLA Vijay Samrat had visited the village to felicitate him, and similar programmes were organised by the local mukhiya and residents. The Mahuli police station had also invited Kumar and honoured him.
The unravelling
However, discrepancies emerged on March 10 when some residents checked the official UPSC merit list on the Commission’s website. They found that the candidate who secured AIR 440 was Ranjith Kumar R from Chikkaballapur in Karnataka, and not Kumar from Sheikhpura.
Following this, villagers sought clarification. According to Sarfaraz Alam, former mukhiya of Chaudhar Dargah panchayat, Kumar had left the village after being confronted and remained untraceable, with his mobile phone switched off.
Mahuli police station officer-in-charge Rampravesh Bharti had earlier said that police had initially felicitated Kumar based on locally circulated information, and later asked him to present documents after doubts were raised. When he failed to respond, efforts were initiated to locate him.
Local sources said that Kumar had been preparing for competitive examinations in ’s Mukherjee Nagar and had returned to his village before Holi.
In the aftermath of the revelation, photographs of the felicitation ceremonies shared earlier on social media by some local leaders were reportedly deleted.
With Kumar’s arrest, police said they are “proceeding with further investigation and legal action in the case”.
