IRS officer booked for using identity of another person to clear UPSC examination

The CBI has filed a case against an Indian Revenue Service officer for allegedly using the identity of another person, five-year junior to him, to appear in the UPSC examination in 2007, officials said on Friday.

The agency has booked Navneet Kumar, a 2007-batch IRS officer of customs and central excise, for submitting fake date of birth and educational certificates to qualify in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination, they said.

Kumar is suspected to be Rajesh Kumar Sharma, who became overage for the examination in 2007 and used the identity of the former to qualify the civil services examination, they said.

Born on June 15, 1980, Navneet had passed high school in 1996 and intermediate and graduation in 2003 and 2008 respectively, the agency has alleged.

The agency alleged that Sharma had passed class 10th in 1991 and class 12th in 1993 from CBSE Board in Bettiah.

"When Rajesh Kumar Sharma got over aged for the UPSC exam, he changed identity and obtained certificate in the name of Navneet Kumar keeping the father's name and address the same," the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged.

During the verification exercise, certificates issued by the Deputy Electoral Officer, Bettiah and statements of the village head, former village head and other inhabitants of the village indicated that Navneet Kumar is an adopted identity of Rajesh Kumar Sharma, they said.

The agency found that Kumar has not submitted any date of birth certificate and intermediate examination certificate passed by him in 2003 to the department so far.

The CBI also found that examination board Bihar Vidyalaya Pariksha Samiti did not co-operate in providing the required details of Kumar, they said.

"lt is prima facie criminal act of use of forged documents as genuine, change of identity for cheating in conspiracy with unknown public servants who might have helped in the act getting government job by assuming a new identity to overcome restraint of being overage and against unknown private persons," the CBI has alleged.