EOU arrests 2 for posing as EOU officials, threatening engineer

Amit Manjeet Amit Manjeet Amit 1 2 Patna : The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) has arrested two men for allegedly impersonating EOU officials, threatening a senior engineer with termination from service and death, and demanding money in the name of a purported investigation. According to the EOU, a case was registered on Sept 3 after Rajendra Kumar , superintending engineer, minor irrigation works department, Chhapra, and superintending engineer (municipal) monitoring, Patna, approached the agency. Kumar reported receiving repeated calls and WhatsApp messages from unidentified numbers. The callers allegedly claimed to be EOU officials and threatened to damage his career, terminate his service and cause him serious harm if he failed to pay the demanded amount. The EOU registered a case under Sections 204, 308(3), 308(4), 308(7), 319(2), 351 and 61(2) of the BNS, 2023, and Section 66(C) of the IT Act against Manjeet Kumar Singh and contractor Amit Kumar of a construction firm. During the investigation, technical evidence and other material allegedly established the involvement of the two accused, the EOU said. Amit and Manjeet, his driver, were arrested on Sept 7 and subsequently remanded in judicial custody. The EOU said Manjeet admitted to filing a complaint against Rajendra and later using phone calls, WhatsApp messages and text messages to impersonate EOU officials and demand money from the engineer. He allegedly threatened Rajendra with termination of his job and death if he failed to pay. Investigators also recovered chats from the seized mobile phones that allegedly showed attempts to intimidate the engineer through messages relating to a purported investigation. A photograph of the Special Vigilance Unit logo was also found on one of the phones. The EOU said the material indicated that the accused allegedly intended to exploit officials financially by creating fear after filing complaints with different govt agencies. A driving licence and Aadhaar card in Manjeet's name, as well as a purportedly fake driving licence and Aadhaar card bearing the name Sanjeet Kumar, were also recovered, the EOU said. The agency said it was conducting a detailed investigation and verifying the role of other persons who may have been involved. Further legal action will be taken based on the findings, it added. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Patna | Silver Rate in Patna | Bank Holidays in Patna | Public Holidays in Patna | Patna AQI | Weather in Patna | Petrol Price in Patna | Diesel Price in Patna | CNG Price in Patna | LPG Price in Patna Stay updated with the latest Patna news. Download the TOI App.