Youth arrested for duping traders through UPI app

DWARKA PRASAD PATNAIK, OP

Chhatrapur: A youth was arrested for allegedly duping a trader of more than Rs 5 lakh through fake cheques and UPI apps. The accused, identified as Nalinikanta Jena (24 years), a resident of Berhampur Sadar police limits, was arrested by the Chhatrapur police after a complaint was filed against him by the local trader.

According to the Chhatra pur IIC Sabyasachi Malla, Nalinikanta, an ITI pass-out, went to a local iron and steel shop named Maa Santoshi Traders pretending to be a staff of Army Public School in Gola bandha, to purchase steel materials worth Rs 91,300 December 14. He produced the screenshot of the said payment through a popular UPI app to Siddharth Nayak, the owner of the shop. Siddharth did not receive the payment instantly to which Nalinikanta argued, excusing network delays. The matter did not end there.

The police informed that Nalinikanta later came to the same trader again and gave Siddharth a cheque of Rs 4.35 lakh in exchange for more steel and iron materials, requesting Siddharth to produce the cheque at the bank after two days. However, Siddharth got sus picious when he did not receive the initial amount transferred through UPI in his account even after two days and filed a complaint with the Chhatrapur police. The police launched an investigation into the matter and arrested Nalinikanta from Pukudibandha Square near Berhampur. Nalinikanta took all the materials and sold them in Hinjilicut.

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The app used for the payment turned out to be fake. Initially denying the act, Nalinikanta admitted the fraudulent activities and demonstrated the entire episode, the police said. Police said that the accused is a serial offender cheating several other traders. Nalinikanta had recently duped a trader named Niroda Kumar Das of Pathara village under Chamakhandi police limits. Nalinikanta cheated Niroda of more than seven lakhs rupees in five different occasions. Interestingly, modus operandi of cheating was same in both cases. A case was also registered with the Chamakhandi police about the matter.