Man Poses As PMO Official, Threatens CCTV Firm For Heavy Discounts, Charged

The CBI has booked an alleged imposter who, posing as a senior official in the PMO, pressured a CCTV company into providing equipment and services at heavily discounted rates, officials said.

Based on a complaint by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the agency has filed an FIR against Manish Kumar, also known as Manish Kumar Gupta, who was allegedly posing as a joint secretary in the office and misused this supposed position to exert influence over a noted CCTV company.

The FIR alleged that Gupta approached Aditya Khemka, managing director of CP Plus, through WhatsApp, identifying himself as the joint secretary (administration) in the PMO.

He allegedly directed the company to arrange and install indoor and outdoor CCTV surveillance equipment at his parents' residence in Ghaziabad's Gaur Green Avenue in Indirapuram.

He allegedly provided the address and contact details of his brother, Mukesh Kumar Gupta.

When CP Plus officials sought clarification, Gupta threatened "dire" consequences if the CCTV installation was not completed immediately, free of cost or at rock-bottom rates, according to the FIR, as he cited mandatory "protocol" for his IAS officer brother.

"Due to intimidation and fear of official reprisal, CP Plus personnel and their CRM section directed concerned vendor Shri Anupam Kumar Gupta (M/s Secqua Technology) to prioritise the site survey and offer heavily discounted estimates," the FIR alleged.

When the vendor expressed inability to reduce costs further, Gupta threatened to escalate the matter directly with the owner of CP Plus, causing the vendor to halt work due to severe commercial pressure and harassment, it further claimed.

The PMO has confirmed to the agency that no officer with the name Manish Kumar has ever served as joint secretary in the PMO or in any official capacity to date, it said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)