PANAJI
A man, who allegedly impersonated a Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) official and cheated a woman of Rs 5.03 lakh has been arrested by the Crime Branch.
The probe revealed the accused has been booked in nine other cases across Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The arrest comes during an investigation into a complaint filed by Chetan Vijay Komarpant, a resident of Chaudi, Canacona alleging that between May 28 and July 10, 2025, the accused, identified as Suraj Vivek Pendse of Assagao, along with another person, projected himself as a public servant of the GSPCB and misrepresented that statutory work had been completed.
The CB stated that the accused allegedly prepared and issued forged consent letters as well as GSPCB receipts to dishonestly induce the complainant to transfer money. Relying on these representations, the complainant allegedly transferred Rs 5.03 lakh to the accused through digital payments at different intervals.
The accused, arrested from Pune and brought to Goa for investigation, was found with two mobile phones which were seized under panchanama during the arrest.
The CB said that the devices are suspected to have been used for preparing and transmitting forged documents to the complainant.
The accused has nine other criminal cases registered against him in Goa, including offences of cheating, impersonation and criminal breach of trust, as well as cases registered in Maharashtra and Karnataka under various sections of the IPC, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act.
