CBI books man for allegedly posing as PMO official

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against a person for allegedly posing as an Under Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The accused has been identified as P. Elangovan. The agency initiated a preliminary enquiry against him on January 8, 2026, following a complaint from the PMO with respect to a wedding invitation card in which he had been shown as an Under Secretary working there.

The agency found that in 2023, the accused had called V. Kumaresan, Joint Commissioner of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments over phone and introduced himself as a PMO official. He requested for a “VIP darshan” to be arranged for his relatives at Annamalai Temple, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. Mr. Kumaresan obliged him.

The accused repeatedly requested arrangements for visits to various temples in Tamil Nadu on behalf of his friends and relatives. Believing him to be a PMO official, Mr. Kumaresan facilitated those requests in good faith.

Mr. Elangovan then allegedly persuaded Mr. Kumaresan to have his name included in the invitation for the wedding of Mr. Kumaresan’s son, scheduled for April 9, 2025, as a family member, so that he could obtain leave from his office.

Mr. Kumaresan sent the invitation card to the PMO, which later lodged a complaint with the CBI after confirming that no one by the name P. Elangovan worked there.