BHUBANESWAR: Police have foiled a 43-year-old bankrupt businessman’s fake burglary plan to claim insurance money and arrested 13 persons including the key accused in the connection.
Tamando police arrested Santosh Kumar Moharana and his 12 accomplices for allegedly staging a conspiracy at Maharana’s own shop to fraudulently claim the insurance money. The accomplices were identified as Sk Maksat (32), Sk Abdul Rehman (33), Basanta Kumar Senapati(36), Sk Raju (22), Samir Jena (32), Sk Nasir (20), Harihara Sadual (37), Hari Krushna Nayak (53), Shyam Sundar Singh (24), Sk Raja (20) and Jisan Khan (25).
Police said Moharana, who was running a plywood business in the name of Adyasha Traders in Tamando Bazaar since 2016, had taken a large shop on rent from one Abinash Pattnaik. However, unable to pay the monthly rent of Rs 25,000 for over 18 months, he took a loan of Rs 3 lakh from the shop owner in November 2024.
Failing to record any improvement in his business prospects, Moharana allegedly made a plan to fake a burglary on his insured shop to claim Rs 18 lakh insurance money. The accused reportedly involved one of his former employee Manoj Sejpada, who also owns a plywood store in Mayurbhanj, to execute the plan. The two later hired other persons to steal goods from Moharana’s showroom.
As the group reached Bhubaneswar on Wednesday night and met at a roadside eatery for dinner, an alert customer reportedly listened in their conversation and informed the police. They were apprehended and on being questioned, confessed to their scheme.
Police seized various articles including window cutting machines, face masks, flashlights, iron rods, gloves, knives and screwdrivers.
“Moharana had promised to pay each accomplice Rs 1,000 upfront and an additional Rs 5,000 after receiving the insurance money. The remaining amount was to be shared equally among him and Sejpada,” police said.