PHULBANI: Kandhamal police on Saturday arrested a 30-year-old man for allegedly posing as a motor vehicle inspector (MVI) and duping a woman of over Rs 7.18 lakh on the promise of helping her in securing a government job and marrying her.
The accused is Dharmendra Kumar Behera alias Nikhil Kumar Patnaik, a resident of Chakapada area in Kandhamal.
Kandhamal SP Ramendra Prasad said that the woman lodged a complaint on September 17 alleging she met Behera around a year ago regarding a marriage proposal. As per the complainant, he reportedly introduced himself as an MVI officer of the RTO to gain the confidence of her and her family.
Behera later allegedly assured her that he would help her get a government job using his contacts with senior government officials. She reportedly transferred Rs 7,18,851 via UPI to the accused through several transactions between June 26, 2025 and January 20, the woman stated in her complaint.
However, when she later demanded her money back, the accused allegedly stopped responding and turned off his mobile phone. Basing on the woman’s complaint, police arrested him from Paburia Chhak.
Police said Behera was checking vehicles while wearing a fake OMVD uniform when he was nabbed. The uniform with the nameplate, police raincoat, two vehicles, his photograph in uniform, mobile phone, bank passbook and other documents were seized from his possession.
Further investigation is underway to ascertain if Behera had cheated other people using similar tactics, said police.