Kataka: Two youths, including a law graduate and an engineer, were arrested on Sunday for allegedly duping people by offering to clear pending traffic challans at discounted rates through fake social media pages and issuing forged court receipts as proof of payment, police said.
The accused were identified as Raja Das (29), a resident of Dolasahi under Tihidi police station in Bhadrak district, and Rajat Kumar Lenka (26), a resident of Balajitpada village under Bhadrak Rural police station limits. Raja holds B.A. and LL.B. degrees, while Rajat has completed B.Tech. and an MBA.
According to police, the case came to light after Baishnab Behera lodged a complaint stating that he had come across Facebook and Instagram pages named “All India RTO Challan”, which claimed to facilitate the clearance of pending traffic challans across the country at concessional rates.
Believing the claims to be genuine, the complainant initially contacted the page through Facebook Messenger and was later asked to continue the conversation on WhatsApp. Acting on the instructions of the accused, he shared the details of traffic challans issued to his relatives and transferred the amount demanded by them.
To make the transactions appear genuine, the accused allegedly issued forged court receipt book receipts as proof that the challans had been settled. However, when the complainant produced the receipts before the court, they were found to be fake, following which he approached the police.
During the investigation, police found that the accused had allegedly cheated the complainant of Rs 2.70 lakh. Based on technical evidence and scrutiny of bank transactions, investigators traced the accused and arrested them.
Police seized 61 fake court receipts, three mobile phones, a laptop, 11 ATM cards, two PAN cards, and two Aadhaar cards from their possession.
Investigators suspect that more people may have fallen victim to the racket and are examining the role of others who may have been involved.
Police also advised the public not to trust social media pages or individuals claiming to settle traffic challans at discounted rates. Citizens have been urged to verify and pay all traffic challans only through authorised government portals or official channels.
