Raipur, Oct 7 (IANS) After duping even senior officials of the bureaucracy into believing he was Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh’s chief secretary for two years, the game is finally up for Rajiv Kumar Sarthi.The 43-year-old resident of the state’s Janjgir district was held Monday evening from the state secretariat after some officials alerted the police.

It is suspected that he had been blackmailing several senior officials since 2006 and had been influencing transfers and appointments too.

“This man has stunned everybody. He had been dealing with officials for a long time. We have arrested him on charges of cheating and forgery,” Amit Kumar, district superintendent of police, Raipur, told IANS.

He said Sarthi was being interrogated to know details of whether money was being extorted.

Police have seized a set of letterheads proclaiming Sarthi as the chief minister’s personal secretary as well as fake seals and a forged I-card.

Officials say Sarthi had sent dozens of letters in recent months to several officials in Raipur and districts regarding transfers and appointments, including that of Raman Singh’s authorised personal assistant and his officer on special duty (OSD).