dehradun

Updated: Apr 02, 2015 08:56 IST

For six months, a woman posing as an Indian Administrative Service officer had a free run in the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, a training ground for the country’s civil service officers.

She moved around the academy since September 2014 flashing a fake identity card from the Administrative Training Academy in Nainital. It said her name was Ruby Choudhury, and she held the post of sub-divisional magistrate.

A sub-divisional magistrate is either a newly recruited member of the IAS or a member of the state civil service.

Sources said she was outed on March 23 after the academy found her identity was fake. She was asked to leave on March 29. Two days after she left, the institute’s Administrative Officer of Security Satyabir Singh filed a police complaint against the woman, making the breach public.

Dehradun senior superintendent of police Pushpak Jyoti said: “Police are investigating the matter and at the moment we are not in a position to comment on this matter.”

Sources said the police are examining the documents seized from the room where she stayed.

During her stay at the academy, she was a frequent visitor at the institute’s library, a service available only to the registered members and guest faculty.

Sources said Ruby was provided accommodation in the quarters of the academy security guard Deb Singh following the verbal orders of a senior officer in the academy.

However, in a press note, the training institute has played down the breach saying it is a case of subletting of official quarters by the guard. The press release also shrunk the duration of her stay on the campus, contradicting the complaint filed by its Administrative Officer of Security.

According to the Joint Director of the academy, D Nariala, the woman was staying in residential quarters of Deb Singh since January 16, 2015 as a paying guest. This matter was brought to the notice of officials on March 27. Nariala said that on March 29 the woman entered the academy premises with the reference of the security guard and was confronted by other guards and produced before the Deputy Director, Security. She was asked to leave the academy premises.

Deb Singh has been suspended and a departmental inquiry ordered against him for subletting staff quarter.

“The woman had been posing as an SDM, an IAS OT (officer trainee) and an employee of Ministry of Textile to the security guard concerned,” said Nariala.

But the institute’s press release is silent on why would a guard sublet his quarters to an IAS officer.

Sources say administrative officer (security) Satyabir Singh has been sent on leave.