Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police nabbed a fraud indulging in deceiving people by making promise about rental accommodations through misleading advertisements in newspapers, mainly on the OLX platform.
The accused has been identified as Dhirendra Kumar Jena (37) of Sahaspur under Jajpur Sadar police jurisdiction. Police have confiscated eight SIM cards from various network providers, two passbooks from different banks, one chequebook, two ATM cards, and an identity proof from Jena, as per police statements.
Police said the arrest followed a complaint by Suraj Xess of Gandasrirampur in Badagada, who reported a fraudulent transaction of Rs 27,500 when attempting to secure a rental room through an OLX listing.
Following investigation, it was found that the accused, along with associates, published false advertisements both in print and online, offering rooms for rent on the OLX platform. When potential tenants reached out, they were provided with fabricated photos and videos of available rooms.
The victims were coerced into making advance payments to secure the accommodation promptly, under the threat that the room would be allocated to other applicants.
Further investigation revealed that Jena and his associates had committed a series of OLX-related frauds victimising several residents of Bhubaneswar.
Police have advised people to verify the authenticity of the website while searching for house rent and to deposit money only after verifying the house & house owner physically.
