Baidyanathpur police arrested a fraudster, Mrutunjaya Padhy (27) of Jyoti Nagar in the city, on charges of swindling lakhs of rupees from many people with false assurances of substantial returns within a short time. SP Saravana Vivek M confirmed the arrest and provided details of the case.
The case unfolded when one of the victims Satyanarayan Sasmal filed an FIR against Mrutunjaya. During the probe, it was revealed that the accused had received a total of Rs 27.5 lakh in cash from the complainant with the promise of doubling the investment within five months.
In return, he provided money receipts and also presented cheques from different banks as returns. However, these cheques bore insufficient balance. When approached by the complainant, the accused not only evaded him but also threatened dire consequences. Without any other option, he filed an FIR.
The SP said that the accused had misappropriated funds from many which are currently under investigation. The accused was produced in court on Sunday.