Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 3 Sep: A case [u/s 318(2)/319(2) BNS] has been registered against Tax & Excise Inspector Abhishek Talwade, son of former Arunachal Pradesh rural & panchayati raj secretary Amarnath Talwade, with the crime branch at the police headquarters (PHQ) here.
It is alleged that Abhishek impersonated his father, an IAS officer, to extract sensitive information from the PHQ.
An FIR was lodged by Sub-Inspector Ganesh Das of the PHQ’s Anti-Narcotic Cell here on 23 August, stating that he had received a call from an individual who identified himself as Abhisek Talwade on the Truecaller app as ‘AT (Abhishek Talwade, IAS)’ from mobile number 9818028768 on 19 August, at 2:10 pm.
Abhishek allegedly introduced himself as a representative from the narcotics department secretariat here, and sought information on narcotics-related matters to prepare a PowerPoint presentation for the home minister.
During their 18-minute conversation, Abhishek enquired about various matters, particularly focusing on funding for narcotics, Das claimed. He shared several pieces of information, given Abhishek’s apparent knowledge of narcotics-related information. When Das asked how to save his name, Abhishek sent a message, introducing himself as A Talwade, secretary, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Das stated in the FIR.
Apparently, Das had shared the action taken reports of the first and second state-level NCORD meetings and the PowerPoint presentation of the state-level NCORD meetings with Abhishek.
However, Das suspected Abhishek’s credentials, verified it with the home department, and confirmed that Abhishek is an inspector in the tax & excise department and no person named A Talwade is posted as secretary to the state government at the secretariat.
Later, Das reported this to the Special Branch SP, and it was confirmed that no such representation had been requested for by the home minister, and he did not know Abhishek personally.
When asked about his intent behind obtaining confidential documents “under false pretence,” Abhishek reportedly claimed that the information was for personal use, as his father had discussed a personal matter with the home minister.
Das alleged that, during their conversation, Abhishek denied obtaining any documents fraudulently and offered to arrange a conference call with the home minister to clarify the matter.
Das alerted the higher authorities, stating that Abhishek’s father should not have access to such sensitive data due to potential implications on the state’s security. He has sought an SIT action against Abhishek for “gathering information under false pretence while impersonating a senior government official.”
This daily was unable to reach Abhishek Talwade for his comment.