Bhubaneswar: A man was arrested for allegedly duping a businessman of Rs 1.08 crore on the promise of providing a luxury car in Bhubaneswar.
The accused, identified as 32-year-old Sambit Panda of Sailashree Vihar, was reportedly working as a car showroom manager in Cuttack. He is stated to be the son of a retired police officer.
Police said Panda had come in contact with a businessman, Rohit Roshan Mohanty, in March 2023. The accused claimed he was a freelance car broker and manager of an Audi car showroom in Bhubaneswar.
Panda had promised the businessman to facilitate the purchase of a luxury car at discounted rate within a month. As per the deal, the businessman had provided Rs 1.08 crore to Panda in phases for purchasing the luxury vehicle. However, Panda did not arrange the vehicle for the businessman.
The accused allegedly threatened the businessman when he sought his money back. The victim later came to know that Panda had produced forged documents to dupe him. He also got information that Panda was involved in similar cases of cheating in the past.
Mohanty then approached a court and lodged a complaint against Panda.
On the court’s direction, Infocity police registered a case in September last year and launched an investigation into the matter.
After registration of the case, Panda managed to secure anticipatory bail from the high court. However, as the court did not extend the bail, he was arrested on Monday, said a senior police official.