BHUBANESWAR: A girl was arrested on Friday, September 10, 2021, for allegedly cheating a city-based software engineer to the tune of Rs 6.5 lakh by impersonating as a medical student. She had opened a fake Facebook profile to con him. The accused Priyanka Priyadarshini Parida (26) of Nachuni village in Khurda district took the money from the victim over the last two months on the pretext of paying her course fees. Although she had promised the youth of marriage, they never met each other. The victim had transferred the entire amount to her bank account.
Police said Priyanka is a Plus II dropout and has been staying in various hotels in Bhubaneswar for the last two years. After receiving the complaint, Saheed Nagar police nabbed her from a hotel in Kalinga Nagar area here.
Informing about her modus operandi, police said she used to befriend youths by creating fake Facebook and WhatsApp accounts with pictures of other girls. Initial investigation suggests that she has cheated at least seven youths across Odisha, Bengaluru, Sikkim and Assam by opening fake accounts on social networking sites.
“Priyanka used to promise the youths of marriage and collected money from them on the pretext of her father’s treatment, paying college fees or some other issues. She, however, never met any of the victims”, said an officer of Sahid Nagar police station. Cash of Rs 1.33 lakh, two mobiles, ATM and PAN cards and three bank passbooks were seized from her.