Fake vice-chancellor hired ex-IAS officer for office work, say police

Santosh Lohar, the vice-chancellor and Chief Operating Officer of the fake Bio-Chemic Education Grant Commission (BEGC), had hired a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, according to police.

The IAS officer was appointed around a month ago but the moment he realised that Lohar locked the office and went missing, he quit, a senior police officer said.
Police are yet to identify the retired IAS officer.

They are also verifying a report that Shyamal Dutta, the commission’s “Chief Executive Officer”, was arrested by the CBI in West Bengal.

Representatives of various colleges and universities have approached the police to lodge a complaint. Krishnamurthy, principal of a nursing college in Sagar, Shivamogga, wants to lodge a complaint, the officer said. Lohar is an MBA graduate and had worked for some well-known companies in Bengaluru. He started the fake commission to make a quick buck, the officer added.

The nursing college principal said, “Lohar posed as vice-chancellor and people accompanying him claimed to be IAS officers. They approached us, offering help in starting paramedical and biochemic courses. They came by a government car and inspected our campus and issued the permission letter a few days later. They even invited me to meet the senior officers in Delhi. Their planning was meticulous, there was no room for doubt.”

Krishnamurthy said he realised being cheated when he tried to contact Lohar but he was unavailable.

“After learning about his arrest, we have come to the JP Nagar police station to decide on the future course of action,” he said.