JAGATSINGHPUR: A physical education teacher (PET) of a government high school at Purana was arrested for allegedly impersonating the personal assistant (PA) of Jagatsinghpur MLA Amarendra Das and demanding a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a junior assistant of another school.
Sources revealed Suresh Parija, a junior assistant at a government high school under Tirtol block and secretary of the District Education Department Employees Association, received a call on Wednesday.
The caller identifying himself as the MLA’s PA, demanded Rs 1 lakh and claimed the money was required to clear pending arrear bills of teachers and staff at the district education office.
The caller allegedly threatened Parija of a transfer if he failed to arrange the amount. An alarmed Parija lodged an FIR with Jagatsinghpur police station submitting the caller’s phone number and audio recordings of the conversation.
Police traced the phone number to 35-year-old Tasib Ahmed of Adhangasasan village under Biridi police limits. Ahmed, who works as PET at the government high school of Purana was detained on Thursday.
During interrogation, he confessed to impersonating as the MLA’s PA to extort money from Parija. In-charge IIC of Jagatsinghpur police station Tapan Nahak said a case was registered against the accused under sections 419, 420, and 506 of the IPC. He has been produced before the court and the cell phone used in the crime has been seized.