By Biswanath Dash
BHUBANESWAR: As an extension of the press release issued on 4th September 2023, wherein 5 fraudsters were apprehended and subsequently presented before the court, we have now successfully arrested the remaining two principal suspects. This includes the imposter who assumed the identity of the landowner.
MODUS OPERANDI & OPERATION OF THE ACCUSED:
An investigation has uncovered the operations of an organized fraud syndicate, active within the Twin City, which preys on unsuspecting individuals who have left their land unattended for extended periods.
The modus operandi of the culprits involves procuring certified copies of genuine sale deeds, then fabricating convincing counterfeit documents, and presenting these to victims as authentic records. Victims, believing the documents to be legitimate, cross-check them against land records (EC) to confirm name, address, and other details match those of the actual landowner.
Arup Halder played a crucial role in luring victims and introducing them to the gang members. Simanchal Mohanty, a professional scribe, crafted the fraudulent sale deeds by replacing the landowner’s photograph with that of an imposter. Sushila Pattnaik played the role of the imposter and impersonated the original landowner, Sanjukta Panigrahi, and registered the plot through the forged sale deed. The accused in a criminal conspiracy then sold the land to Pushpalata Swain and Kamala Swain.
After taking the money from the victims the gang members were absconding but have been arrested by the special crime unit this morning from Chowdwar and Bhubaneswar respectively.
In addition to this case, another similar incident involving the same previously arrested accused is currently under investigation. This case, registered under IPC sections 420, 465, 467, 468, and 471, is progressing. In this particular instance, the accused presented a fraudulent land deal in the Trisulia area, extracting Rs 4 Lakhs from the victim.
Both the accused were forwarded to the court today and have been remanded to judicial custody. Special Crime Unit is further probing the involvement of the two accused arrested today in other similar cases and taking steps to arrest the rest absconding accused.
