JAJPUR: Panikoili police on Thursday arrested a 23-year-old youth for allegedly cheating a housewife of `37,000 and 70 grams of gold ornaments impersonating as Ollywood actor Babusan through a fake Facebook (FB) profile.
Police also recovered a motorcycle and 70 grams of gold ornaments from his possession. The arrested was identified as Rashmiranjan Mahuty alias Shakti of Latipur village within Khariar police limits in Nuapada district.
Police said a woman of Panikoili had become friend with a fake account of Ollywood actor Tanmay Mohanty alias Babusan on FB operated by Shakti. Seeking a break for her daughter in Odia movies as a child artiste, she contacted the mobile phone number provided in the FB account.
The accused received her call impersonating as Babusan and paid a visit to the woman’s place at Panikoili. Shakti assured to provide the girl a break in an Odia movie in the second week of April this year and demanded `1 lakh. The woman paid `37,000 and gave 70 grams of gold ornaments to Shakti.
When Babusan denied having any account on any social networking site on July 16 after a woman from Sundargarh alleged that an FB account in the name of the actor had sought donation of `50,000 from her, the Panikoili woman suspected foul play and asked the accused to return the money and gold ornaments. However, Shakti refused and threatened her, the police said.
The woman’s husband, Banoj Jena, filed a complaint against Shakti with Panikoili police on July 25.
“Basing on the complaint, we tracked the mobile phone of the accused and arrested him from his native place. Shakti informed us that he had purchased a motorcycle with the money of the victim,” said Panikoili IIC Sarat Kumar Patra.
There were nearly 20 to 25 fake accounts run by the accused on social media. He deleted all the accounts after Babusan’s clarification, Patra added. Shakti was forwarded to court and remanded in judicial custody.