Bhubaneswar: In a major breakthrough, the Crime Branch (CB) of Odisha Police arrested Bishnu Prasad Pattanaik, alias Biranchi Narayan Pattanaik, a habitual fraudster accused of cheating job seekers out of over ₹1 crore by promising high-paying jobs abroad.
Addressing a presser Crime Branch DG Vinaytosh Mishra informed that the arrest, made on May 21, 2025, in Bhubaneswar, follows a meticulous investigation led by Inspector Rajkishore Behera, leveraging human and technical intelligence to track the absconding conman.
Pattanaik, a resident of Girigiria, Begunia in Khurda district, allegedly duped victims by posing as a medical doctor, professor, and engineer, using forged documents to gain their trust. Two prominent cases highlight his fraudulent activities.
In the first, registered as CID CB PS Case No. 25/2018, Pattanaik allegedly swindled ₹90 lakh from a qualified aeronautical engineer from Coimbatore, promising jobs at British Airways and Lufthansa. He created fake offer and appointment letters from reputed firms like Lufthansa Technik and HR Maxons. The case originated from Gunupur PS Case No. 143 dated October 29, 2018, under Section 420 IPC.
In the second case, CID CB PS Case No. 03/2019, arising from Gunupur PS Case No. 126 dated September 24, 2018, Pattanaik allegedly defrauded a woman of ₹15 lakh by promising a lucrative overseas job for her son, a qualified electronics and instrumentation engineer. Additionally, a prior case from 2002 (Bissamcuttack PS Case No. 34/02) saw Pattanaik absconding after charges of cheating and forgery, with a charge sheet already submitted.
Investigations revealed Pattanaik’s extensive criminal network, with victims in Rayagada, Visakhapatnam, Berhampur, Bhubaneswar, and other regions. To evade arrest, he fled to Cambodia in 2012, allegedly creating a second passport and claiming to run an IT company, which is under scrutiny. A Look Out Circular issued against him on January 17, 2019, was extended into 2020. His return to Odisha in May 2025 was tracked by the CB team, leading to his arrest.
According to DG Pattanaik faces charges under Sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for cheating), 465 (forgery), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC. He was produced before the SDJM, Gunupur, Rayagada, on May 21, 2025.
“The investigation of the case is continuing. Being a habitual fraudster, his probable victims all over Odisha are being sought. Every modality of his operation, along with possible accomplices, is also being investigated”, added the DG.
