Believe it or not, over three dozen conmen faking themselves as officers at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) have been booked across various states by the law and order authorities in the past few years. Most of them were apprehended on complaints from unsuspecting victims. Even this incomplete list sheds much light on the centralised working style of this government and how it dispenses power and perks to its supporters and cracks down on the opponents. A quick look at the modus operandi of the fake PMO officers will help understand how the system works. It also underscores the fact that the cons were well aware while working that the Modi establishment were part of it.“We will not spare those who cheat the country, loot the poor,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared at a meeting of the vigilance commission and Central Bureau of Investigation.But PMO fakes did exactly the opposite even after Modi’s warning. The imposters knew they would be safe so long as they sided with the ruling party.Hence, their role model is Kiran Patel, the master con man, who worked as a ‘senior’ PMO official for years, and was sent on a secret mission to places like Jammu and Kashmir. He got all state hospitalities: five star accommodation, bullet-proof vehicle, escorts, and even Z-plus security. He called senior officials at will and sought sensitive documents. Another uncomfortable fact about Patel is that he was actually close to Gujarat politicians, including Amit Shah. He is expert at name-dropping and often ‘telephoning’ them in Gujarati to show his free access to the higher-ups. None of the other PMO cons were as resourceful as Kiran Patel. The others operated at lower levels and invariably failed to get national attention. Look at Mayank Tiwari, for instance, a glib talker claiming to be a ‘director of strategic advice’ at PMO. He got admission for the kids of two of his friends at a prestigious school in Vadodara. Unfortunately for him, the school authorities later contacted the PMO and got Mayank booked. In Prayagraj, fraudster Prakash Pathak was arrested for posing as a top officer at PMO. Cops recovered fake identity cards, stamps and an SUV from him.Then comes a senior ‘secretary’ at PMO who was on duty for an unknown job – Ashok Bhat Tombre – who was even invited to the stage with his bodyguard (hired), minutes before Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis arrived. On the suggestion of a CM staff member, however, he was questioned and his real identity as an ordinary party worker was revealed. He was charged under BNS 319, 204 and 205. Rupesh Doshi, claiming to be an officer on special duty at PMO, belonged to Bhopal. He began by seeking lunches and dinner in hotels but extended his services for gaining lucrative contracts, winning tenders and transfers and postings of the needy govt officers. Police filed a case against him. There were also women fraudsters. A probe into one of such cases, involving a conwoman who was arrested in the previous year for posing as a ‘national advisor’ with PMO, has revealed documents and bank accounts ‘operated by her’ receiving Rs 1.3 crore from a Pune firm. The list goes onManmohan Ganjoo from Baghat, Srinagar, and his wife Ayoush Koul Ganjoo were arrested for duping people. They posed as IPS and IAS officers with high connections. Ishan Bukhari, an army doctor and top officer at PMO was arrested in Orissa on charges of cheating and extortion.S.S. Chauhan and K.K. Gaur were booked for faking as PMO officials and helping people to get contracts were sent to jail in Delhi. Vivek Keshavan was imposed a penalty of Rs 35,000 for impersonating as a PMO staffer to get entry into a temple The Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet against a Ghaziabad man who posed as a top PMO official and duped several people. CBI registered an FIR against Pawan Patel for impersonating as a PMO official and trapping victims. CBI also arrested a conman for duping people using photos of Modi and Amit Shah and claiming to be a PMO official. It registered an FIR against Delhi’s P. Rama Rao for allegedly seeking favours from Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, by posing as a PMO official, and another against Ankit Kumar Singh for claiming to work at PMO as a senior officer and duping an Agra district magistrate.Kashmira Sandip Pawar and Ganesh Gaikwad, ‘national advisers’ at PMO, were arrested in Pune for defrauding Rs 50 lakh and promising lucrative contracts. Pune Police also arrested Sanjay Prakash Rai who posed as an IAS posted at PMO only to gain status in social circles of Pune. Kanhaiya Kumar alias Dr K.K., moving in an SUV with a ‘Government of India’ sticker, was caught in police net with a ‘director PMO’ card and moving in central secretariat dispensing favours like posting and transfer.Currently, Madurai Crime Branch is looking for Madhu Ganesh Menon, an ‘IAS officer in the PMO’, who cheated a city resident of Rs 43 lakh by promising a MBBS seat for his daughter. CBI has registered three separate FIRs against a Prince and a Kerala-resident, Shiva Kumar, on complaints from the PMO that they were trying to extort money by claiming to be working in the PMO. Atul Tulsi, claiming to work at PMO, was arrested at Gurugram for trying to dupe local officials.Police arrested a 51-year old Hyderabad-based woman, Francina Easther Charles alias Suman Singh, from IGI Airport for allegedly cheating people by posing as an OSD in PMO. Lucknow Police filed an FIR alleging that a Sanjay Prakash Rai duped huge amounts of money from people by portraying himself working at PMO.Six persons from Palwal were arrested for cheating BJP workers by posing as PMO officers.K.M. Khan, a Thane resident, has been booked for allegedly posing as an official in PMO, and misusing a letterhead carrying a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.A go-to name for impostersAs Modi’s trusted operator, Home Minister Amit Shah is the most favourite reference point for the PMO imposters and fraudsters. Many have faked as being Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah, while some as his ‘nephew’ and a few as his ‘adopted’ son. It seems that the political fraudsters are fairly well aware of the internal dynamics of the Modi camp’s working and the role of his assistants.Look at Sujayenda, alias Sujay, who posed as Amit Shah’s ‘adopted son’. A resident of Jammu and Kashmir, he also claimed he was a senior officer at PMO. He assured a prominent doctor that he will get the sanction and necessary funds to start an ayurvedic complex at Devanahalli and cheated him of Rs 2.7 crore. Vijaynagar police arrested him and booked for cheating. Then it was the turn of his ‘nephew’. A fraudster arrested in Gujarat for impersonation and cheating claimed to Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Yogendra Upadhyaya that he was Shah’s nephew. He said he wanted to buy a hotel in Agra and sought the MLA’s help. In the process, he allegedly bought clothes worth Rs 40,000 and asked Upadhyaya’s son to pay for them.Then, a caller posing himself as Jay Shah demanded a huge sum from BJP MLA Adesh Chauhan. This was in exchange for making him an Uttarakhand minister. Chauhan’s personal secretary has filed a police complaint against the imposter.Two more fraudsters, one of them impersonating as Jay Shah again, were arrested in Rudrapur in Uttarakhand in February last year. They demanded Rs 3 crore from Rudrapur MLA Shiv Arora, promising to make him a state minister. Police have filed a case against them. Manipur Police arrested three individuals in March involved in a Rs 4 crore scam, where the fraudsters impersonated Jay Shah to offer ministerial posts to some MLAs. Among the targets was state assembly speaker Thokchom Satyabrata. They were charged under Sections 318(4) for cheating and fraud, and 319(2) for impersonation of the BNS. Robin Upadhyaya, claiming to have 25 years of experience as a professional, was caught while impersonating as an officer on special duty to Amit Shah. He is from Meerut.In another case, a teenager was arrested for posing as Jay Shah and demanding Rs 5 lakh for the ‘BJP fund’ from the party’s Ranipur MLA Adesh Chauhan.All these frauds are on official records. Never in India has any other prime minister’s establishment been dragged into such widespread defame. Why do so many cons and cheats so freely swear by the PMO and Amit Shah and seek to strike shady deals on behalf of them?Do consider how, in some states, many wheeler dealers are taking money promising ministerial berths in exchange. This surely, and loudly, points to the murky side of this government and how it functions. We shall return to that later.In an age of fractured mandates, personality cults and transactional alliances, P. Raman brings clarity to India’s shifting political equations. With Realpolitik, the veteran journalist peers beneath the slogans and spin to reveal the power plays, spectacle, crises and insecurities driving India’s politics.