Lucknow, Apr 7 (IANS): He looked well brought-up and his gait exuded authority.

When he posed as an IPS officer, no one suspected anything was amiss.

It was only when Prateek Kumar Mishra was arrested from Lucknow's Gomti Nagar of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday evening that it emerged that he had been running a job racket for long, promising jobs in municipal corporation, police department, among others.

The Special Task Force (STF) that arrested him have recovered two mobile phones, a fake IPS ID card, appointment letters for constable post and documents related to Uttar Pradesh Recruitment and Promotion Board.

Additional Superintendent of Police, STF, Vishal Vikram Singh, said Mishra used voice changing software or voice-over-internet protocol to trap job seekers.

"Prateek had earlier duped several persons of Rs 1 crore during Covid," Singh added.

The police officer said the matter was being further investigated to find out the extent of his misdeeds.