Rajkot: A UPSC aspirant from Dhule district in Maharashtra, was arrested in Rajkot after allegedly posing as a 2023-batch IAS officer to get accommodation at a govt guesthouse.The accused, Prashant Kachve, attempted to pass himself off as ‘Rahul Singh’, an IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, citing his wife’s pregnancy to reserve a room at a discounted or zero cost.A complaint was lodged by Yogirajsinh Gohil (32), a deputy mamlatdar at the Rajkot Prant City 1 office against Kachve at Pradyuman Nagar police station for impersonating a public servant.Inspector M D Makwana said Kachve got official administrative contact numbers online during his journey from Maharashtra to Gujarat. During initial questioning, Kachve allegedly told investigators that he was preparing for the UPSC exams and had visited Rajkot to buy buffaloes. He admitted to the impersonation in hopes of evading room charges or paying a nominal fee.According to official sources, on Oct 12, prant officer Atulsinh alerted Gohil about a phone call from a purported civil servant. The caller claimed he had travelled to Rajkot for official work and needed a room at a govt guesthouse as his wife was pregnant.When Gohil returned the call to verify the booking details, designation and current posting, Kachve’s evasive responses raised red flags. Gohil briefed the prant officer, who then instructed the caller to present himself at the administrative office in person.Kachve came to the office around 7.30pm, reiterating his claim of being IAS officer Rahul Singh from the 2023 batch. Sustained questioning by officials exposed discrepancies in his backstory, eventually revealing his true identity as an ordinary resident of Dhule.Authorities confirmed that Kachve also presented the fake identity to the manager of the guesthouse and local police personnel.
