Lucknow: Police have registered an FIR after a woman constable alleged she was cheated of Rs 16.55 lakh by a man who posed as a relative of a senior IAS officer and promised to double her investment.The complainant, Mona Sikarwar, posted at the Darulshafa police outpost, told police she met Pradeep Shivhare in May.Shivhare, who currently lives in Lalbagh, gained her confidence by projecting links to senior officials and offering an investment plan with quick, doubled returns.According to Hazratganj inspector Vikram Singh, Sikarwar said she took a personal loan of ₹10 lakh after being assured of profits. The FIR states she transferred ₹9.55 lakh from the loan to the bank account of an associate of Shivhare on his instructions. She also allegedly handed over ₹7 lakh in cash, taking the total amount to ₹16.55 lakh.When she later asked for the promised return, Shivhare allegedly kept postponing payment. Police said that after she demanded her principal back, he stopped responding and switched off his mobile phone.The constable claimed she initially approached the office of DCP Central, but no action followed. She then went to Police Commissioner’s office, after which Hazratganj police registered a case and began investigation.Investigators suspect the accused may have used similar tactics to dupe more than 50 police personnel and other victims, with total losses possibly running into crores. Police sources said he cultivated familiarity with officers in the commissionerate, which helped him build credibility among police staff.Officials said there are inputs that he also collected money from some sub-inspectors by promising station house officer postings, and that a municipal councillor and businessmen may also have been cheated, though several alleged victims have not yet filed complaints.Police teams are conducting raids to arrest Shivhare. Investigators are scrutinising bank accounts linked to the transfers, tracking the money trail, and examining whether associates were involved.
