The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR against a man who allegedly posed as a senior official from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and tried to secure admission for a candidate at the prestigious Symbiosis International University in Pune. Apart from an admission request, two separate instances were also reported by the PMO wherein the impostor requested a special VIP darshan for Tirumala Venkateswara Swami Temple, and asked a tahsildar in Mysuru to provide some land documents. The CBI registered the First Information Report (FIR) on October 2 on the basis of a complaint from Anil Sharma, an assistant director in PMO. According to the complaint, filed on August 21, one man, posing as Dr P Rama Rao, approached the pro vice-chancellor of Symbiosis International University, Pune, after making a call from a mobile phone regarding admission of one student in their MBA programme. “He approached them after posing as a joint secretary in PMO and misusing the name of PMO,” the complaint stated. The CBI officials said he made calls and sent communication to the institution’s administration, citing the matter as one of “urgent consideration” in light of his supposed links to the central establishment. “The university administration, however, grew suspicious of the man’s credentials and reached out to the PMO for verification. Upon confirmation that no such person was employed there, the matter was escalated to investigative agencies by the PMO,” an official said. Sharma has alleged in his complaint that a letter, addressed to the executive officer, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, Andhra Pradesh, was sent on May 1 by one Dr P Rama Rao after posing as deputy secretary (PMO). “He was using the letterhead of PMO and made a request to arrange for VIP darshan for Suprabhatam Darshan of Lord Sri Venkateswara Swamy on May 10. He also made a request for providing three AC double bedrooms in Tirumala,” the FIR alleged. In another instance, Sharma alleged someone posing as C Sridhar, joint secretary to the prime minister, has written a letter to the tahsildar, Mysuru, Karnataka and sought some land documents. “The PMO was approached by the Tahsildar, and it was noticed that the mobile number of C Sridhar mentioned in the letter was the same, which was used in contacting the Pro Vice-Chancellor of Symbiosis International University regarding admission,” the FIR said.
