Bargarh: Police have arrested 13 persons from West Bengal for allegedly duping a businessman of Rs 2 lakh in Odisha’s Bargarh district.
Speaking to the media on the arrest, Tapan Kumar Mohanty, Additional SP of Bargarh, said the businessman, Ajay Rakhani, had put up a sign board in front of his newly constructed house at Ambapalli in the town to give it on rent for commercial use.
Some people, identifying themselves as vendors of national companies, contacted him on the phone number mentioned in the sign board on Saturday.
They told Ajay that they can make arrangement to give his house on rent to Mahindra company as they were working as its vendors. Though the company wanted to pay the rent at low rate, they can help him get higher rent for a commission of Rs 2 lakh.
Lured by higher rent, Ajay paid the total amount to the so called vendors. Later, suspecting the identity of the vendors, he filed a complaint at Bargarh Town police station.
Following investigation, the police detained the vendors who had taken the money. During questioning, they admitted that they were frauds and had taken Rs 2 lakh from Ajay to cheat him. They belong to West Bengal
The police arrested all 13 persons and recovered Rs 1,95,640 from their possession. Besides, 4 laptops, 23 mobile phones, a car and some document were also seized.
Police sources said all the 13 persons belong to West Bengal and had cheated many persons in Western Odisha earlier. The police have started investigation to ascertain their involvement in those cases, they added.
