IAS officer’s driver arrested for leaking official papers

Rajkot: The driver of a Rajasthan cadre IAS officer was arrested on Friday for allegedly misusing the name and position of the officer to conduct financial transactions and leaking official documents when she was serving as an assistant collector in Bhavnagar.An FIR was registered against Momin Pathan at the Neelambag police station by IAS officer (2022 batch) Pratibha Dahiya, who is currently posted in her parent Rajasthan cadre. Pathan was booked under sections 318(2), 212, 204, 228 and 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating, impersonation, theft, destruction of evidence, and others.In her complaint, Dahiya stated that on March 17, an audio and video clip of Pathan went viral on social media, suggesting he was misusing her name, the office's name, and her position for financial gain. The video also allegedly showed Momin taking unauthorised photos of office documents and engaging in confidential conversations.Notably, in March, some CCTV footage of Pathan went viral on social media in which he was allegedly seen demanding money to get a positive order in a case pertaining to the Disturbed Area Act, and he was also seen allegedly accepting money. A copy of an order of the prant officer regarding land also leaked, which was allegedly given by Pathan to the applicant. At that time, Dahiya had told the media that this was only a draft. Any property that falls under the Disturbed Area Act can't be sold without the collector's permission.Bhavnagar DySP R R Singhal said, "Pathan went underground after the clips surfaced, but was tracked down and arrested on Friday.Police will also record the statement of the person seen in the CCTV footage giving money. The investigation will also focus on whether Pathan was acting on behalf of someone else, where the money was used, and who helped him gain unauthorised access to the SDM's office documents.