Rayagada: What initially appeared to be a daring daylight robbery in Odisha’s Rayagada town has turned out to be an elaborate hoax orchestrated by an employee of a local business establishment.
According to police sources, Akshaya Bibar, the manager of Patra Electronics, lodged a complaint on Monday afternoon, stating that two unidentified men on a motorcycle had snatched a bag containing cash from the firm’s accountant, Ranjit Kumar Dalai. The theft reportedly took place while Dalai was heading to deposit the money at a State Bank of India branch near Kapilas Road. The manager claimed the stolen amount was Rs 2.32 lakh.
Rayagada police registered the case based on the complaint and launched an investigation. However, officers soon became suspicious due to discrepancies in the accountant’s statements and his behaviour during questioning. Upon further interrogation, Dalai reportedly confessed that he had fabricated the entire robbery narrative. He admitted to gradually misappropriating funds from the firm over several days to cover personal expenses. To hide the shortfall, he invented the story of being robbed en route to the bank.
Police have detained the accused and recovered Rs 1.20 lakh from him. Efforts are ongoing to trace and retrieve the remaining misappropriated amount, the sources added.
