Fraudsters impersonating agricultural officers target retired officials in Odisha

A gang of fraudsters is active in the state, predominantly in Bhadrak district, making retired government officials their soft targets. 

Most recently, a retired veterinary surgeon from Dhamnagar area in Bhadrak district nearly saved himself from falling victim to the fraudsters. He has been identified as Bidyadhar Rout.

Bidyadhar’s suspicions led him to lodge a complaint about the incident to the local police, resulting in the detention of a suspect for questioning. 

“They gave me Rs 1,000 and took a cheque from me by falsely promising to establish an agricultural equipment distribution centre at my house. I lodged a complaint at the police station as I grew suspicious over their activities,” said Bidyadhar.

As per sources, authorities have been alerted about the activities of this deceptive group operating in the region. Over the past week, the fraudulent group has targeted retirees with a fraudulent scheme promising opportunities to establish agricultural equipment distribution centres from the comfort of their own homes.

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The modus operandi of the perpetrators is they initially demand a nominal fee of Rs 1,000 as a token of commitment. However, their true intention is to manipulate collected cheques to withdraw substantially larger sums.

In a series of incidents, the fraudsters have successfully extorted Rs 71,000 from a retired teacher in Dehudianandapur village, Rs 81,000 from another retired teacher in Govindagadia village, and Rs 91,000 from a retired Headmaster in Chudakuti village.

The police have initiated an extensive investigation to unearth further details of the gang’s methods and to prevent additional occurrences. Authorities have also urged the public to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activities to the police immediately.