Bhubaneswar: A conman was arrested on Friday for allegedly trying to swindle Odia migrant workers stranded in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu by using the name of Ollywood actor Sabyasachi Mishra.
Incidentally, Sabyasachi has been extending a helping hand to hundreds of Odia migrants stranded in different parts of the country during the lockdown.
The accused, identified as Badal, was arrested in a joint operation by Odisha and Coimbatore police.
According to police sources, Badal had contacted an Odia migrant worker by claiming to be a member of Sabyasachi’s team. He asked the migrant to deposit Rs 6,500 to get back to Odisha on a bus.
Badal also said that all meals on the way back home would be free and each migrant will receive Rs 2,000 after staying in a quarantine centre.
The migrant worker, however, grew suspicious of the offer and contacted Sabyasachi over phone. In turn, the actor apprised the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Bhubaneswar of the matter.
Following an investigation, Bhubaneswar police contacted their counterparts in Coimbatore and the scamster was arrested.
Police suspect that the conman might have found information about migrant workers from Sabyasachi’s Twitter account and then hatched a plan to swindle money from them.
