Bhubaneswar: In a shocking case of impersonation and extortion, a person claiming to be an employee of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) allegedly extorted Rs 2 lakh from a superintending engineer in Bhubaneswar by threatening to transfer him to Malkangiri.
According to the complaint filed by Pratap Kumar Haripal, superintending engineer of the Roads and Buildings Division in Angul, the accused, Janakiballav Mohapatra, called him about a month ago, claiming to be an official from the CMO office. Mohapatra threatened to transfer Haripal to Malkangiri unless he paid Rs 2 lakh. Believing the threat, Haripal paid the amount at Mohapatra’s residence in Bhimatangi.
However, even after receiving the payment, Mohapatra continued to harass Haripal, demanding an additional Rs 5 lakh. When Haripal refused to pay, Mohapatra allegedly abused him and threatened to kill him.
Finding no other go, Haripal lodged a written complaint at the Airfield Police Station.
Based on the complaint, police have registered a case in this connection and launched an investigation to apprehend the accused.
