BHUBANESWAR: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested a man from Noida for allegedly impersonating a senior Central government employee and cheating a businessman of Keonjhar district to the tune of Rs 2.35 crore on the promise of providing higher returns against his insurance policy.
Pramod Kumar Rout of Joda, had lodged a complaint with EOW officers in this regard and they had registered a case under various Sections of the IPC and the Information Technology Act on February 28 this year.
The accused Himanshu Bhandari was arrested on March 15 and produced at Surajpur Court in Greater Noida a day later. He was brought on transit remand to Odisha and produced at a court in Barbil on Saturday.
According to EOW officers, Rout had a policy in Max Life Insurance Company Limited since 2012. Bhandari and his associates had contacted Rout over the telephone in October 2021 by impersonating the officials of the Ministry of Finance.
The caller identified himself as AK Walia, Ministry of Finance’s fund releasing head based out of Hyderabad. He attempted to con Rout by claiming that his insurance policy was selected under Pradhan Mantri Rahat Kosh Yojana and Rs 3 crore will be transferred into his account.
Rout then received a letter on WhatsApp which was signed by one Suresh Mathur, who impersonated as Head of Department (Intermediaries) Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India. In the letter, the complainant was instructed to deposit his dues to receive funds amounting to over Rs 1.56 crore.
When Rout did not respond to the above letter, he received several telephone calls in the coming days from various persons who identified themselves as employees of AK Walia.
On being repeatedly persuaded by the fraudsters, Rout transferred the money in installments between November 19, 2019 and February 4, 2021. However, the victim did not receive any money and the culprits switched off their mobile phones.
The EOW officers ascertained that Rout had received many fake letters on WhatsApp purportedly issued by the Ministry of Finance, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and Income Tax Department along with forged photographs of two bank demand drafts in favour of the complainant amounting to Rs 1, 27, 73, 000 and Rs 70, 81, 800.
“During the investigation, it was established that no such person as AK Walia exists. Bhandari and at least 10 of his associates impersonated as senior officials to cheat the complainant. Initial probe suggests the gang’s members have committed similar crimes in various other States,” said an EOW officer. Further investigation is continuing and efforts are on to identify and arrest other members of the gang, he added.