PMO Official, Fake Degrees: How Kashmir Conman Fooled Women Across India

He is a neurosurgeon, an army doctor, an officer at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), and also a close associate of top National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials. But is he?

A man hailing from Kashmir’s Kupwara has been arrested in Odisha on charges of cheating people through impersonation. He would change his identity from time to time and has posed as all the professions mentioned above, and then some more.

The Odisha Police Special Task Force (STF) arrested 37-year-old Sayad Ishaan Bukhari alias Ishaan Bukhari alias Dr Ishaan Bukhari yesterday from Neulpur village in Odisha’s Jaipur district for cheating people.

The Conman

The man with several fake identities allegedly had links with several people from Pakistan and some suspicious elements in Kerala, STF Inspector General JN Pankaj said. The top officer said the police did not find his links the Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), a spy agency.

He forged documents to show he has a medical degree certificate from Cornell University, a top Ivy League college in the US, to foolproof his identity as a doctor, the conman forged a medical certificate from the Canadian Health Services Institute and Christian Medical College in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore.

Possessing international degrees, affidavits, bonds, ATM cards, blank cheques, Aadhar Cards and visiting cards was the conman’s plan of action to create a new identity to cheat people. The police recovered over 100 documents and several incriminating material in the raid carried out based on a tip-off the STF team received.

The man with many identities even married at least six women hailing from different parts of the country including Uttar Pradesh,  Maharashtra, Odisha, Kashmir, etc. and was romantically involved with several women, Mr Pankaj said. He was active on several websites and apps and used his identities to cheat people.

The accused had some links with anti-national elements, but his exact role needs a detailed investigation.

“We have ample evidence against the accused being a fraudster. It is too early to say anything regarding his involvement in terror plots, but he had some links with Pakistan and it will be verified. We cannot rule out that he was a Pakistani spy. But as of now, we do not have much evidence. However, we are in touch with the NIA,” Hindustan Times reported quoting Mr Pankaj.

The Kashmir Police was also on a hunt to arrest Bukhari, who was connected to several cases of forgery and cheating and a non-bailable warrant was already issued against him.

The police have filed cases under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and a joint team of Punjab, Kashmir and Odisha will interrogate him, STF Inspector General said.