Hans News Service Bhubaneswar

ThePuri district police arrested a cyber fraudster for allegedly cheating a woman of a total of Rs 15 lakh by posing as an Additional Secretary-rank officer in the Chhattisgarh government on a matrimonial app, Puri SP Prateek Singh said.

The accused, identified as Balabhadra Prasad Mishra,44, is a resident of Matiasahi under Town police limits in Anugola district. Mishra allegedly registered himself on the Bharat Matrimony app and introduced himself to the woman, a nurse, as an Additional Secretary-rank officer in the Chhattisgarh government. He also developed a relationship with her.

According to Singh, a case was registered at the Cyber Crime & EO Police Station, Puri on October 13 following a complaint lodged by the victim nurse. The accused allegedly took money, promising to secure a job for her sister and later threatened to get her transferred to the KBK region when she began suspecting him.

The Puri SP said the accused allegedly forced the woman to open three bank accounts.“A few days later, the victim discovered that loans amounting to over Rs 13 lakh had been sanctioned in her name through these bank accounts. All those loan amounts were withdrawn and utilised by the accused himself. Thereafter, she approached us and registered a case,” Singh noted.

He further revealed that the accused spent the money on purchasing a Toyota car and maintaining a lavish lifestyle, including hotel stays and air travel. Police seized 14 bank passbooks, nine cheque books, 17 debit and credit cards, six mobile phones and Rs 10,000 in cash from his possession, Singh said.

The SP further said cases related to fraud and forgery had previously been registered against the accused at police stations in Sambalpur and Saheed Nagar, Airport and Lingaraj in Bhubaneswar.

“Upon further inquiry, it came to light that 12 of his accounts have been frozen across various states. Since his accounts have been frozen in other states, there is strong suspicion that he has been running an interstate fraud racket. We will delve deeper into the investigation, coordinate with other states, and ascertain where else and how many other women he has defrauded, how many states his activities span, and how many people he has duped,” the Puri SP added.