Berhampur: Odisha Police has arrested a 45-year-old man for allegedly cheating a person of Rs 21 lakh in Ganjam district on the false promise of securing a loco pilot job in the railways for his son, an officer said Friday.
The accused, identified as Gadadhar Nath of Olatpur in Cuttack district, was arrested from Aska area Thursday, police said.
The complainant had transferred the entire amount through online transactions during 2024-25, Aska Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) SR Pradhan said.
To gain the complainant’s confidence, the accused allegedly provided a job offer letter and a joining letter purportedly issued by the Eastern Railway in Kolkata.
However, when the complainant’s son went to Kolkata to join the job, the documents were found to be fake, police said.
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“The letter did not contain any name or address and was found to be forged,” Pradhan said.
After learning about the fraud, the complainant confronted the accused and demanded the return of his money. The accused allegedly assured him that the amount would be refunded within six months.
When the money was not returned, the complainant visited the accused’s residence and again sought repayment. The accused allegedly abused him and chased him with a sword, police said.
A complaint was subsequently lodged at Dhusuri police station. During a compromise reached May 12, the accused agreed to return the money within four months and immediately paid Rs 3 lakh, police said.
However, when the accused failed to honour the agreement and allegedly abused the complainant again, an FIR was lodged at Aska police station, leading to his arrest.
Aska IIC S K Sahu said police were investigating whether any other job seekers had been duped by the accused.
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