Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack have arrested a 25-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh for allegedly impersonating a sales executive of Jindal Steel Pvt. Ltd. and duping a Bhubaneswar-based businessman of over Rs 11 lakh.
The accused has been identified as Pradum Kumar from Bhojapur village in Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh, was apprehended on June 9 under the jurisdiction of Sakaldiha police station. He was subsequently produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Chandauli and brought to Bhubaneswar on a transit remand.
According to an official press release, the case came to light after the complainant, Mahesh Kumar Singh, filed an FIR on May 22 at the Cyber Crime and Economic Offences Police Station, Bhubaneswar. Singh, while searching online for a steel supplier, contacted a toll-free number that claimed association with Jindal Steel. He was put in touch with a man posing as the company’s sales executive.
The accused convinced Singh to place an order for Thermo Mechanically Treated (TMT) steel and provided a forged proforma invoice bearing the Jindal Steel logo, design, and letterhead. Relying on these documents, Singh transferred Rs 1,25,300 via IMPS and Rs 10 lakh via NEFT/RTGS to an Indian Overseas Bank account controlled by Pradum Kumar.
Police investigations revealed that the bank account was registered in Kumar’s name. A mobile phone, allegedly used to carry out the scam, was seized during his arrest.
The Commissionerate Police further disclosed that Kumar and his accomplices have been targeting unsuspecting victims by impersonating executives of reputed companies. They use fake business proposals and forged invoices to dupe individuals into transferring large sums to fraudulent bank accounts.
