Puri: Twelve men were arrested by the police for allegedly extorting money from unsuspecting devotees by posing as servitors of Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri.
Police said the gang members had reportedly been operating for the past few months and cheating devotees.
The men wore attire similar to genuine temple servitors to deceive visitors, particularly devotees from states like West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, into hiring them for religious rituals and pujas, according to Puri Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra.
Police swung into action after several devotees complained of being coerced into paying money, with some alleging verbal abuse and intimidation when they refused the services.
Police launched the crackdown after learning of this modus operandi targeting devotees. The accused formed groups and stood near the bus stand, railway station, and Grand Road to target devotees, escort them into the temple, and extort money and those who resisted were manhandled, he said.
The accused were identified as Pradeep Kumar Behera (24), Balaram Badapanda (22), Mahima Prasad Baral (27), Manoranjan Sahoo (32), Jagannath Dash (36), Arjun Prusty (33), Jagannath Mishra (27), Maheswar Das (34), Santosh Rout (20), Sonu Das (23), Pradeep Kumar Tripathy (51), and Sagar Rath (23), all residents of Puri town.
The accused were arrested after a thorough investigation and verification of the suspects’ antecedents. Various nijogs of servitors were consulted who confirmed that the accused were not genuine sevayats.
Police also seized 14 mobile phones and Rs 20,000 in cash, along with other items from the accused. They have been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 111(2)(b), 111(4), 111(6), 308(4), and 61(2).
