Puri: A cyber fraudster was arrested by Puri Police for allegedly cheating a woman of Rs 15 lakh by posing as an additional secretary-rank officer in the Chhattisgarh government on a matrimonial app.
The accused, identified as Balabhadra Prasad Mishra (44), is a resident of Matiasahi under Town police limits in Anugola district of Odisha.
Mishra allegedly registered on a matrimonial app and introduced himself to the woman, a nurse, as an additional secretary-rank officer in Chhattisgarh. He also developed a relationship with her, according to Puri SP Prateek Singh.
Following a complaint lodged by the victim, a case was registered at the Cyber Crime & EO Police Station, Puri on October 13. The accused allegedly took money, promising to secure a job for her sister and later threatened to get her transferred to the KBK region when she began suspecting him.
The Puri SP said the accused allegedly forced the woman to open three bank accounts with the State Bank of India (SBI), HDFC Bank and Indian Overseas Bank.
A few days later, the victim found that loans amounting to over Rs 13 lakh had been sanctioned in her name through these bank accounts. All those loan amounts were withdrawn and utilised by the accused himself. Thereafter, she approached the police and registered a case, the SP said.
The accused spent the money on purchasing a car and maintaining a lavish lifestyle, including hotel stays and air travel. Police seized 14 bank passbooks, nine cheque books, 17 debit and credit cards, six mobile phones and Rs 10,000 in cash from his possession, Singh said.
The SP further said cases related to fraud and forgery had previously been registered against the accused at police stations in Sambalpur and Saheed Nagar, Airport and Lingaraj in Bhubaneswar.
Further probe showed that 12 of his accounts have been frozen across various states. Since his accounts have been frozen in other states, there is strong suspicion that he has been running an interstate fraud racket. Further investigation is underway.
