Nagpur: A cyber fraudster allegedly impersonated Nagpur District Collector Kumar Ashirwad on WhatsApp and attempted to dupe government officials by seeking money under the pretext of purchasing furniture. The Nagpur Cyber Police have registered a case against the unidentified accused and launched an investigation.

The complaint was filed by Praful Sadanand Sakharkar (45), a Naib Tehsildar and resident of Rajvaibhav Galaxy Apartments in Lav Kush Nagar, Manewada.

According to police, the accused used WhatsApp number 9772054936 and created a fake profile bearing the name of the Nagpur District Collector. To make the account appear genuine, the fraudster allegedly used the Collector's photograph as the display picture and contacted several government officials across the district.

One of the officials targeted was Hemant Aware, Principal of the Government Industrial College. The accused allegedly sent WhatsApp messages requesting money, claiming it was required for the purchase of furniture. Investigators suspect the messages were part of a wider attempt to deceive multiple government officers.

The fraud came to light before any significant financial loss was reported, prompting the complainant to approach the Cyber Police.

Based on the complaint, Nagpur Cyber Police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating, forgery and personation, along with Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act, which deal with identity theft and cheating by personation using electronic means.

Police are working to identify the person behind the fake WhatsApp account and have urged government officials and citizens to verify the authenticity of messages seeking money, even if they appear to come from senior government functionaries.