Bhadrak: A man who allegedly posed as the personal assistant (PA) to Odisha Deputy Chief Minister and used photographs with political leaders to lure job seekers has been arrested for allegedly duping people of around Rs 1 crore, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Jagannath Bahalia, was arrested from Digha in West Bengal by a team of Bhadrak Town Police.
According to police, Bahalia allegedly introduced himself as the PA to the Deputy Chief Minister and showed photographs of himself with the Deputy CM and other prominent political leaders to convince people of his influence and political connections.
He allegedly used the photographs to gain the trust of youths and promised them government jobs in exchange for money, police said.
In one such case, a youth from the Simulia area of Balasore district was allegedly promised a job in the Railways. Bahalia reportedly took Rs 10 lakh from him and later provided him with a fake appointment letter.
Police suspect that several other people may have been similarly duped by the accused. Cases related to the alleged fraud have been registered in Balasore, Bhadrak and Cuttack districts.
The accused allegedly operated by projecting himself as a person close to the political leadership and used photographs with prominent leaders to strengthen his claims.
Following complaints, Bhadrak Town Police launched an investigation and traced Bahalia to Digha, where he was subsequently arrested.
Police are now investigating the total amount allegedly collected by Bahalia, the number of people who may have fallen victim to the alleged racket and whether other persons were involved in the fraud.
Further investigation is underway, police said.
