Bhubaneswar: The CID of the Odisha Crime Branch on Thursday arrested a former Malkhana clerk in connection with a high-profile forgery case involving a fabricated order of the Orissa High Court.
The accused, Prasanna Kumar Patro (65), a native of Jeypore in Koraput district, was apprehended from his rented residence at Trisulia under Baranga police limits in Cuttack. The arrest was made in connection with CID Crime Branch P.S Case No. 06 dated March 22, 2018, registered under Sections 465, 467, and 471 of the IPC.
According to officials, Patro allegedly conspired with his daughter, Amrita Priyadarsini Patro, to forge a High Court order in W.P.(C) No. 9853/2017. The fabricated document was reportedly used to secure wrongful gains and shield her from legal action in a bank fraud case.
Investigators further revealed that Patro is also an accused in a separate Economic Offences Wing (EOW) case registered on June 25, 2018, which stems from a Koraput police case. He faces multiple charges, including criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, and use of forged documents.
Police described Patro as a habitual offender with a history of similar crimes. During his tenure as a Malkhana clerk, he was allegedly involved in misappropriation of government funds and forgery-related offences. He had also reportedly forged court orders in earlier cases to evade legal proceedings.
Notably, Patro was previously convicted in a 1993 case registered at Jeypore Town Police Station under Section 409 IPC and sentenced to three years of imprisonment.
Further investigation into the case is underway, officials said.
