Bhubaneswar: A fraudster, who allegedly ran an opera troupe after duping many gullible people of lakhs or rupees in different parts of Odisha, was arrested near Bhubaneswar.
The accused, identified as Ranjan Nayak of Balikuda area in Cuttack, cheated people by posing as a police officer and at times as a doctor, police said.
Nayak extracted huge money from job aspirants from different areas including Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Kalahandi, Balangir and Rourkela by promising to get them employment in government and other organisations.
Fake police uniforms, stethoscope and other articles have been seized from his possession, said ACP Zone 4, S N Muduli.
Police swung into action after a man from Rourkela lodged a complaint alleging that the accused had collected around Rs eight lakh from him in phases on the promise of getting him Assistant Section Officer’s (ASO) job, he said.
The accused had even handed over a fake selection list to him. When the victim sought return of the money, the accused threatened to kill him. Thereafter, the victim lodged a police complaint and the accused was apprehended from Pahala.
The accused had also duped another man of around Rs eight lakh on the promise to arrange ASO job.
Nayak was believed to have invested the money earned through fraudulent means in opera troupe, police said, adding that investigation is underway to ascertain whether other people are also involved in the racket.
