Ahmedabad police have arrested a 29-year-old man, Mehul Shah, for allegedly pretending to be a top revenue official and duping people with large amounts of money by producing fake government documents. The accused, according to inspector JK Makwana of the crime branch on Sunday, was an engineer who managed two schools in Morbi district of Gujarat and used forged letters purportedly from government departments to back his false claims.

Shah's forgery came to the forefront when he allegedly produced a letter of appointment from the Ahmedabad District Education Officer (DEO) for offering an official computer operator's position to the son of one complainant. He further claimed to be a trustee of one school where he did not pay Rs 7 lakh to a painter for his work done in painting the school building.

The police have alleged that Shah posed himself as a revenue department high official and used the fake documents to authenticate his claims. One of the victims filed a complaint alleging that Shah used a letter from the “Department of Science and Research Development” to instruct him to put curtains in a vehicle and fit a siren into that vehicle. However, Shah never paid for the work.

Authorities were able to find Shah with forged identity cards and other documents containing such official-looking titles as “Bharat Gaurav Ratna Shri Samman Council,” “Health and Family Welfare Department,” and “Road and Building Department.” Letters allegedly coming from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Ahmedabad DEO were also used for cheating purposes.

Till now, three complaints have reached the police from the victims. The investigating police suspect that more persons must have been cheated by Shah. Inspector Makwana appealed for others to come forward and lodge their complaints if they have been swindled.

“Despite holding no official position in the state or central government, he used fake work permits and NOCs to cheat people of lakhs of rupees,” said Makwana.

The investigation is ongoing, with the authorities recovering considerable amounts of evidence from Shah in the form of fake documents. Police have appealed to the public to exercise more cautiousness in such activities and verify credentials before dealing with individuals claiming to hold official positions.