Odisha Court Sentences Kashmiri Man to 5 Years for Impersonating PMO Official and Doctor

A court in Chandikhole, Odisha, has sentenced Sayed Ishaan Bukhari, a Kashmiri man, to five years of rigorous imprisonment. Bukhari was arrested in December 2023 on charges including impersonation, cheating, forgery, and links to anti-national elements. The court also imposed a fine on the 37-year-old, who hails from Handwara, Kupwara district, in north Kashmir. The prosecution presented 18 witnesses and 130 documents during the trial, leading to his conviction. Bukhari was charged under various sections of the IPC and the IT Act, 2000. He was apprehended by the Odisha Crime Branch’s Special Task Force (STF) in Jajpur for allegedly posing as a PMO official, a neuro-specialist doctor, and an associate of NIA officials. During investigations, numerous forged documents, including fake medical degree certificates from various institutions, were seized. Authorities also recovered numerous ID cards, ATM cards, blank cheques, and other incriminating items. The STF revealed that Bukhari was in contact with suspicious individuals in Kerala and some Pakistani nationals, and he was also wanted by the Kashmir Police for cheating and forgery.