Bhubaneswar: Khunta Police in Mayurbhanj district arrested three persons on charges of impersonating a senior IAS officer and cheating innocent job seekers.
The accused allegedly duped at least 15 individuals of over Rs 20 lakh by promising them government jobs.
The three accused have been identified as Manoj Acharya, an assistant teacher at Bairatpur School in Udala. Acharya is believed to be the mastermind behind the deceitful scheme. Acharya’s accomplices, Dilip Jena, an engineer, and Lohitash Jena, a resident of Kalikapur in Baripada, have also been accused of involvement in the scam.
According to police reports, the victims, who were desperate for employment, were convinced by the trio accused that they had connections with a senior IAS officer and could secure them government jobs in exchange for a hefty sum.
The scam came to light when an Assistant Block Education Officer (ABEO) Brundaban Marandi filed a complaint against Acharya accusing the latter of taking Rs 1.30 lakh from his nephew on the pretext of giving him a job. Acharya reportedly demanded an additional Rs 40,000 after the job was supposedly secured. However, when the job didn’t materialize and Acharya refused to return the money, the BEO filed a complaint against him at the Khunta police station.
