Bhubaneswar: A 28-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly impersonating the personal assistant of a senior BJP leader and demanding money from individuals.
The accused, Jagannath Mandal of Panchama village under Golanthara police station in Ganjam district, posed as the PA to BJP national leader Nitin Nabin, police said.
According to Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M, Mandal allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 each from two persons via WhatsApp on April 1, claiming it was for party work.
He also threatened to lodge complaints against them with the BJP leader if they refused to pay.
One victim filed a complaint at Town police station on Friday, while another lodged an FIR at Bada Bazar police station. Based on the complaints, police registered cases at both stations and arrested Mandal.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Mandal was earlier arrested on December 13, 2024, in a cheating case. He had been living alternately in Surat, Gujarat, and Berhampur, and was allegedly involved in fraudulent activities, including making hoax calls to political workers while impersonating PAs of prominent political figures, the SP added.
