No Money For Hotel Bill, But Claimed To Be IAS: ‘Fake Collector’ Held In Indore
Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Lasudiya police have arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly posing as an IAS officer and a district collector to intimidate people. The accused, Himanshu Panchal, is a resident of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and was staying on rent at Shubh Aangan Premium, Omaxe City-1, Lasudiya. Lasudiya TI Rajkumar Yadav said the matter came to light after a hotel reported a payment dispute…
In Indore, Madhya Pradesh, a 28-year-old man named Himanshu Panchal has been arrested for falsely posing as an IAS officer and district collector to scare residents. The accused, originally from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, was staying at a hotel in Lasudiya. The police learned of the situation when a hotel reported a payment issue with a man claiming to be Raj Soni, an IAS officer.
Panchal claimed he lacked funds to settle the bill and stated an assistant would arrive within two hours to pay. Upon questioning at the hotel, Panchal revealed his true identity as Himanshu Panchal, an IT professional from Ahmedabad. Police discovered a black nameplate with "IAS Raj Soni, District Collector" and a "Satyamev Jayate" photo frame at his rented home.
They found he had moved in about a month ago and installed the fake nameplate around 15 days ago. Panchal had previously worked for an IT company in Ahmedabad. The police also revealed that Panchal faced a cheating FIR registration in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on May 23, 2026, and are investigating further to determine if he deceived people while pretending to be a government officer.
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