The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha police on Thursday arrested a fraudster on the charge of deceiving a retired employee of a nationalized bank to the tune of Rs 1.18 crore on the pretext of a commercial plot in Cuttack under government’s discretionary quota.

 The accused Rashmi Ranjan Dash, who had floated R.D. Group of Company, was arrested and was later remanded to judicial custody, said EOW officials.

The EOW acted on the complaint lodged by Antaryami Nayak, a retired employee of State Bank of India. Nayak had paid Rs 1.18 crore after the accused impressed upon him to provide a commercial plot measuring 4000 sqft. at Hadiapatha, Cuttack under the discretionary quota of Cuttack Development Authority. Dash took Nayak by forging the seal and signature of Commissioner Cuttack Municipality Corporation.

The accused obtained the signatures of complainant’s wife (the proposed buyer) on blank papers including a stamp paper and later handed over the complainant an agreement dated 15 April, 2021, purportedly executed between his wife as buyer and Ms. Ananya Das, Secretary in Charge, C.D.A, Cuttack with the purported seal of CMC, Cuttack, which on verification was found to be fake and forged.

 The accused had falsely assured the complainant that registration of the scheduled land would be done on 15th November, 2021 at CDA Office, Cuttack at 10 AM and prior to that he took the full amount i.e 1,18,50,000/-. However, the accused Rashmi Ranjan Dash did not turn up on that date and when contacted took different pleas and went on avoiding him intentionally on different pretext and did not return his money as yet.

Some fake Identity Cards of the Accused showing him as a Gynaecologist of SCB Medical College & Hospital, BHMS doctor etc have also been seized. Those were being used by the accused to impersonate him in order to defraud the victims.

Further on verification it was found that the accused Rashmi Ranjan Dash was earlier arrested and forwarded in Kumbharpada police station in Puri. He had defrauded many victims by impersonating himself as a CBI Officer to arrange jobs with Police or Revenue Dept. and also to facilitate the admission in his educational institutions.