The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha police on Friday arrested two fraudsters, who impersonated home department officials to dupe around 40 people of Rs 1.47 crore on the pretext of getting them jobs in the police.

The arrested persons Baikunthanath Naik and Bhimsen Moharana were impersonated as officials of the home department and cheated of Rs 1.47 crore from 38 job aspirants on the pretext of enlisting their names in the supplementary selection list of Combined Police Service Examination-2013. The duo was arrested after one of the job-seekers- Badal Kumar Raula-lodged a police complaint in this regard.

The arrested persons had taken 38 job aspirants for a ride on the pretext of enlisting their names in the supplementary selection list of Combined Police Service Examination-2013, said Deputy Inspector General of Police, STF, Mr. Jai Narayan Pankaj.

The job aspirants, who were duped by the duo, had appeared in Combined Police Service Examination, 2013 (CPSE-2013) conducted by Odisha Staff Selection Commission for the post of Sub Inspectors of Police, Sergeant, and Deputy Subedar. They had qualified for the written test and appeared in the viva-voce test. The final merit list of the selected candidates was published in December 2016. But their names did not figure in the list of successful candidates. But the duo had given them the impression that there would be a second supplementary list.

The accused persons had later assured the aspirants to enlist their name in the supplementary selection list and had demanded Rs.5 to 6 lakhs from each of them. Being influenced by the glib-talking duo; the job-seekers had paid the fraudsters Rs 1.47 crore from May 2020 to November 2020. However, the job seekers later found that they had been duped as the second supplementary list was not published by CPSE.

The ‘duped’ job-seekers had the amount both through bank accounts and in cash. It was also revealed during the investigation that accused Bhimsen Moharana has retired as the Senior Grade Recorder from Higher Education Department.

During the house search of the accused Baikunth Naik, many incriminating documents including 12 numbers of ATM Cards as well the fake ID card of ASO have been seized. All bank accounts have been frozen. Investigation of the case is still continuing to identify and nab other accused persons involved in this case and also in similar frauds.

Meanwhile the EOW, suspecting that more people might have been duped by the duo, has appealed to them to come forward with a police complaint in this regard.