Sundaragada : Sundaragada Sadar Police have arrested three members of a fraud syndicate accused of cheating people by promising them “Hanuman paisa” (Hanuman coin) and government jobs, officials said.
The arrests followed a complaint lodged by Prasanna Dansana, who alleged that the accused had taken ₹6 lakh from him after assuring him that they would provide him with Hanuman coin. When the accused allegedly stopped responding to him, he approached the police.
Acting on the complaint, a police team led by Inspector-in-Charge Saudamini Nag conducted a raid and apprehended the three accused from Kirei Chowk within hours.
The arrested persons have been identified as Umesh Tanti of Pandaripahar, Madhab Minz of Subalaya, and Sani Kumar of Adarsha Nagar under the Town Police Station limits.
Police have registered a case against them under Sections 318(4), 329(2), 112(2), 296, 351(3) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The accused were produced before a court, which rejected their bail applications and remanded them to judicial custody.
During the operation, police seized an Ertiga car bearing registration number OD-16M-6568 and three mobile phones from the accused.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the trio had allegedly formed a criminal syndicate that targeted unsuspecting people by offering fake assurances of Hanuman coin and government employment in exchange for large sums of money. Police suspect the group cheated several victims across the jurisdictions of Jharsuguda, Dharaudihi and Sundaragada Town police stations.
The operation was carried out under the direction of Superintendent of Police Amritpal Kaur and the supervision of Sub-Divisional Police Officer Nirmal Mahapatra.
Police said the accused are suspected to have been involved in several similar cases in the past. Efforts are underway to trace and arrest other members believed to be associated with the racket, while further investigation is in progress.
