Sambalpur Police on Tuesday arrested five persons including an employee of the Sambalpur Development Authority (SDA) for cheating people on the pretext of building plan approval.
The fraud came to the fore after some victims lodged a complaint at Khetrajpur Police Station in this connection.
As per reports, the accused met people looking to get their building plan approved by the SDA. They managed to convince them by promising to get their plans approved at a lower rate in exchange for money.
The accused managed to dupe 54 persons in this way, swindling over Rs 3.32 crore from them.
As per the allegation, the accused used to demand around Rs 5 lakh from each person to pass their building plan at the SDA.
The police have seized diaries, files, fake seals, bank accounts, and a newly purchased vehicle from them.
“We have arrested five accused in this case. They used to cheat people in the name of building plan approval. Two criminal cases- forgery and cheating have been registered against them,” said Sambalpur SP, Mukesh Bhamoo.
“The accused used fake documents and took financial benefits from unsuspecting persons. Their act also amounted to a loss for the State exchequer. We have also traced bank transactions of more than Rs 3.3 crore.”