Balasore, (Reporterspen), April 25: Soro police apprehended a fraudster on Tuesday night, accused of deceiving 22 individuals by promising them employment in banks and other sectors.
Identified as Ramesh Chandra Padhi, the accused hails from Manitri village within Soro police jurisdiction. On Thursday, Soro police presented Padhi before the court for allegedly swindling over Rs 2 Crore from multiple victims.
According to police sources, Padhi purportedly solicited Rs 3 Lakh each from Sanjay Kumar Panda and 21 others under the guise of securing them positions in various banks and sectors in 2019. He bolstered their trust by presenting forged bank notifications.
When the promised job interviews failed to materialize, the victims confronted Padhi. In response, he purportedly accompanied them to the Grievance Cell of Balasore Collectorate office, filing a petition to placate them. Padhi also allegedly lodged a counterfeit writ petition with the Orissa High Court.
Following confirmation from banks that no recruitment advertisements had been issued, the victims, led by Sanjay from Chaparpada village, sought recourse with Soro Police. Subsequently, Sushant Kumar of Soro filed a complaint, alleging Padhi defrauded him of Rs 58 lakh by promising a kerosene dealership license.
Prompted by these grievances, police initiated an investigation, culminating in Padhi’s arrest from Bhadrak. He was remanded to court custody on Thursday. Padhi faces charges in connection with 10 pending cases.
