Arrested Fake IAS Officer’s Associate Nabbed In Mayurbhanj

Baripada: Police on Thursday arrested the associate of fake IAS officer Rajat Panda’s in Mayurbhanj district.

The accused has been identified as Abinash Praharaj.

Several fake documents were seized from Praharaj’s house in Jharapokharia area during a raid by police.

One Rajat Panda was on Monday night arrested from Damodarpur in Udala of the district on charges of impersonating as an IAS officer.

Panda, a resident of Tihidi area in Bhadrak district, had married a girl of Damodarpur by posing as an IAS officer.

The accused had created a fake Facebook account and convinced the girl for marriage by posing as Malkangiri Sub Collector Lingaraj Panda.

The matter came to the light after some villagers noticed his suspicious activities and alerted the cops about the same.

Rajat was earlier arrested for his alleged links with chit fund firm Seashore Group of Companies. In connection with the chit fund scam in 2014, he was at Jharpada jail for a period of 1.5 years.

There are several cases of fraud pending against him at different police stations.