Delhi blast probe uncovers key Maharashtra link in woman posing as IAS officer with Pak military contacts

The suspect, identified as Kalpana Bhagwat, was apprehended in Sambhaji Nagar in Maharashtra. (Photo: X/@Theunk13)

A woman who allegedly posed as a senior IAS officer has been arrested in Maharashtra, with investigators discovering she was in possession of contact details for Pakistani military officials and was present in Delhi during the deadly Red Fort blast, News18 reported.

The suspect, identified as Kalpana Bhagwat, was apprehended in Sambhaji Nagar. A search of her possessions uncovered a cache of international phone numbers. Crucially, amongst these were contact details for officials within the Pakistan Army, specifically from the Peshawar Army Cantonment Board, as well as numbers for the Afghan Embassy.

According to the News18 report, a subsequent search led to the recovery of two cheques, one for a substantial Rs 19 crore and another for Rs 6 lakh.

The investigation took a more serious turn when it was revealed that Bhagwat’s mobile phone contained contacts saved under the names of the Home Minister’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) and other senior defence officials.

Furthermore, sources reportedly said that she was in Delhi on November 10, the date of the car blast near the Red Fort which claimed 15 lives. Police are now actively investigating whether she had any role in the terror incident. Her previous travels to Rajasthan and Jodhpur are also under scrutiny.

In a separate case that highlights a concerning pattern of high-level impersonation, police in Hyderabad arrested another individual a day prior. Bathini Shashikanth, 39, is accused of duping members of the public for over two years by posing as an IAS Officer holding the position of Deputy Commissioner and at times, as an IPS or NIA officer.

The Hyderabad police investigation revealed that Shashikanth orchestrated an elaborate deception. He allegedly created fake IAS, IPS and NIA identity cards and visiting cards, hired armed bodyguards from Tamil Nadu and fitted a private vehicle with police sirens.

To complete the illusion of being a senior official, he reportedly used walkie-talkies to mimic official communications and circulated a forged industrial land allotment letter to defraud his victims.