An audacious attempt to breach security at Fort William, the Eastern Command headquarters of the Indian Army in Kolkata, was thwarted when a suspected juvenile tried to enter the premises impersonating an Army officer. The imposter, masquerading as Major M.S. Chauhan of the 5 Gorkha Rifles (Frontier Force), was apprehended by military police personnel after he couldn’t fill in his details in a register, reported NDTV.

The imposter, hailing from Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, had a history of fraudulent activities, including a stint in a juvenile home in Odisha from September 2023 to February 2024, according to the report. After his release, he embarked on a deceptive spree, leaving a trail of deceit and unpaid bills.

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On February 13, he stayed at the Pride Hotel in Cuttack, duping the establishment of ₹6,393 before absconding. He then travelled ticketless to Howrah Railway Station on March 14 and then summoned a cab to Kolkata Airport. Upon arrival, he phoned JW Marriott Hotel, requesting a pickup service, where he spent the night before orchestrating his elaborate scheme.

Using a BMW cab hired from the hotel, the imposter spun a tale of being a distinguished member of the President’s Bodyguard regiment to the unsuspecting driver.

The chauffeur-driven BMW tried to enter Fort William through the East Gate around 1.10pm on Friday.

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The imposter’s facade began to unravel when he was unable to accurately fill in his details in the officer’s entry register. The military police personnel at the gate became suspicious after he kept on checking the photograph on his mobile phone while filling in the details, and informed the control room.

A flying squad reached the gate and escorted the youth to the control room where he was questioned. The investigation revealed a pattern of deceit, including false digital payments made through a popular payment app, BHIM. He would do an online payment and edit the initial confirmation message for further payments, reported NDTV.

The probe also uncovered his use of another false identity card, that of Constable Sunil Kumar from Hyderabad State Police, to check into hotels in both Cuttack and Kolkata.