By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 16 Jul: Dehradun police have arrested Yashowardhan, the 35 year old son of former Uttarakhand Chief Secretary S Ramaswamy, in connection with a series of fraud cases. He has been accused of allegedly posing as a senior government and intelligence officer to dupe people. Acting on a complaint lodged by a woman scientist, Rajpur police traced him to Delhi, took him into custody, and have brought him to Dehradun. Officials stated that he would often introduce himself as an IPS officer or a senior functionary in the Home Ministry, Defence Ministry or even the Army, using these false claims to gain trust and extort money.
Anshul Upadhyay, a resident of Garhi Cantt, stated in his complaint submitted to the police that he met Yashowardhan in March 2026. Yashovardhan claimed to wield influence by posing as an officer associated with central government intelligence agencies and the Special Operations Group.
Upadhyaya also alleged that Yashowardhan proposed registering companies named ‘Suman Health and Blessings’, ‘How’s the Josh’ and ‘Eureka Frogs’ in the name of the victim’s late mother. He also assured that funding of Rs 20 to Rs 25 lakhs would be provided to each company under the Start-up India scheme. According to the complaint, the accused summoned the victim to a hotel located on Rajpur Road and took Rs 36,000 per company in the name of company registration. Apart from this, he also took around Rs 2 lakh under the pretext of providing iPhones at a low price from the Customs Department.
During the search, police recovered walkie‑talkies, military uniforms, fake Defence Ministry bands, caps and other items suspected to have been used to impress and mislead victims. Investigations revealed that he had also defrauded a Delhi‑based woman by claiming high‑level contacts and extracting about Rs 4.5 lakhs from her, while continuing to demand more. In another case, he allegedly registered a company in the name of a deceased woman, promising government funding of Rs 20 to 25 lakhs under Startup India and other schemes, and took Rs 17 lakhs in cash from an MBBS student on some pretext. He has been also accused of allegedly collecting Rs 2 lakhs on the pretext of arranging four iPhones through the Customs Department, but neither delivered the phones nor completed the company registration.
The Police sources alleged that Yashowardhan frequently changed his identity, sometimes presenting himself as a Home Ministry officer, sometimes as a Defence Ministry official and at other times as a senior IPS officer, to win confidence of those whom he intended to cheat. It has further been alleged that he stayed in hotels without paying bills and cheated the staff and the security guards of these hotels. The officials believe more victims may come forward as the investigation progresses.
It may be recalled that Yashowardhan already faces two registered cases in Rajpur police station. His name had earlier appeared in the headlines in November 2025 when he was involved in a physical altercation with Divya Pratap Singh, son of former BJP MLA Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion. At that time, however, the public perception was in his favour owing to the rather controversial image of Champion. Following his latest arrest, he has been produced in court on transit remand, and further legal proceedings are underway.
Later, City SP Pramod Kumar also briefed the media on the developments, while investigations continue into the extent of his fraudulent activities.
On the other hand, Yashowardhan’s father S Ramaswamy carried an image of clean and humble officer throughout his professional career as an IAS officer.
