STF nabs fake RTI activist for duping people of Rs 2 crore; bogus ID of I &PR dept seized

The Special Task Force (STF) on Friday arrested one person, who claimed to be an RTI activist, on charges of cheating and impersonation. The accused has been identified as Kishore Kumar Mishra.

The STF has also recovered the fake ID of I & PR Department of the Odisha government from the accused. The bank accounts of Kishore show credit of more than Rs 2 crore in the last 2 to 3 years with many bulk deposits.

Kishore was arrested based on a complaint filed at Koraput Town Police Station on April 25, 2023. Later, the STF took over the case.

Senior STF officials said the accused is a MA in political science with good command over language including English. He is a resident of Berhampur but was staying in Koraput for the past several years.

“Kishore used to cheat/ extort people claiming to be an RTI activist and also fooling people that he has close proximity with senior officers and can get them crusher license, liquor license, transfer/postings,” STF said in a release.

Initial investigation revealed that Kishore is a member of a larger group involved in cheating through impersonation. The group uses some mule bank accounts including some accounts of dead persons in the cheating.

Further investigation in connection with the incident is on, STF officials said.