Con woman nabbed in City
BHUBANESWAR: A woman was apprehended by police for swindling lakhs of rupees from the people of the Capital City on the plea that she needed money for her son’s kidney treatment.
The woman has been identified as Sabita Sahoo of Badamba in Cuttack district, who was staying with her family in Shyampur under Khandagiri police limits.
According to the police, Sahoo was staying with her family in a rented house in Shyampur for the last two years. She was running a shop in the locality and used to sell sarees making door-to-door visit in the neighbourhood.
Sahoo developed a close rapport with her customers while selling the sarees and other goods to them. She hatched a plan to con one of her customers, Manjubala Mishra of Shyampur, with whom she was well acquainted. Sahoo had approached Mishra a few months back and told her a concocted story that she needed ` three lakh for the treatment of her son’s kidney failure.
On continuous request by Sahoo, Mishra decided to lend her the money. Sahoo assured that she would repay the amount in three instalments, but she left her rented accommodation and fled.
When Mishra contacted Sahoo over the phone and asked her to return the money, the latter verbally abused the former and threatened her of dire consequences.
Mishra lodged a complaint with Khandagiri police in this regard. Subsequently, the police launched a search operation and nabbed Sahoo from Jatni railway station.
On investigation, the police learnt that Sahoo had conned another person, Sunil Kumar Dash, by telling him the same story and taken ` 4 lakh from him. Several people of the area alleged that Sahoo had cheated them in a similar manner and swindled lakhs of rupees.
“A case against Sahoo has been registered under Sections 420, 294 and 506 of IPC and she was produced in a court on Thursday,” Khandagiri police said.
Sahoo was staying in the city with her husband, daughter and son. Sahoo’s another daughter is married. According to police, all her children are fit and healthy.