Berhampur: A man was arrested by police in Odisha’s Ganjam district on Saturday for allegedly demanding money from people by impersonating the personal assistant of BJP national president Nitin Nabin.
The accused has been identified as Jagannath Mandal, aged around 28 years, of Panchama village under the jurisdiction of Golanthara police station in the district.
Mandal allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 each from two persons via WhatsApp on April 1, claiming that the money was needed for party work, according to Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M.
The accused also threatened to lodge complaints against them with the BJP leader if they refused to pay.
One of the victims lodged a complaint at Town police station on Friday, while another filed an FIR at Bada Bazar police station. Based on the complaints, police registered cases at both stations and arrested Mandal.
Preliminary investigation showed that Mandal was earlier arrested on December 13, 2024, in a cheating case. He had been living alternately in Surat, Gujarat, and Berhampur, and was allegedly involved in fraudulent activities, including making hoax calls to political workers while impersonating assistants of prominent political figures, police added.
