Overview
- Delhi Police arrested 43-year-old Pawan Kumar Pandey (also known as Varun Kumar Pandey) on June 20 after a probe into complaints that he posed as an Additional District Magistrate to extort money from victims.
- A March 23 complaint at PP Sidhipura led to FIR No. 206/2026 under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and triggered a multi-month investigation using technical surveillance and digital forensics.
- Officers recovered forged identity and visiting cards, mobile phones, WhatsApp chats, audio recordings and e-Sakshya video evidence that the accused used to build a credible false persona.
- Financial tracing showed about ₹60 lakh collected through bank accounts and UPI transfers via intermediaries and investigators identified assets bought with the proceeds, including a Swift car and a scooty.
- The accused admitted to years of impersonation, police confirmed he had used the name and designation of a real PCS officer, and detectives are probing a 2019 linked FIR plus possible associates and further victims.