TV
Berhampur police, on Wednesday, arrested the branch manager of the Gosani Nuagam branch of ICICI Bank in Berhampur, on charges of defrauding customers of Rs 45.5 lakh. The accused has been identified as 35-year-old Epili Mithun.
According to sources, he allegedly deceived three individuals by promising high returns through a fraudulent gift card scheme. Additionally, Mithun also trapped unsuspecting bank customers through loyalty cards and pushed them to invest their money in his scheme.
The matter came to light after three scam victims approached the Gosaninuagaon branch after becoming suspicious when Mithun failed to return their money despite repeated requests. Subsequently, the victims lodged complaints at Berhampur Town police station after the accused allegedly threatened them with harassment charges.
As per preliminary reports, police identified the victims as Chandan Kumar Padhy, M. Devi Prasad, and Sandeep Kumar Sahu, all residents of Berhampur.
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Modus operandi of the scam:
The trio had reportedly availed loans from ICICI Bank’s Dharmanagar branch in 2023 when Mithun was the manager. He gained their trust by offering loans and later persuaded them to invest in various gift card schemes, including loyalty programs, and Forex and Petro cards, assuring them of high returns.
During the investigation, police also discovered that Epili Mithun had taken Rs 16.5 lakh through credit cards and Rs 29 lakh in cash from the victims. Additionally, several incriminating documents, including details of credit card transactions, were seized from the accused.
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Police response to the fraud:
Till the last reports came in, police had seized mobile phones and financial documents from Mithun and a case was registered under, and further investigation is underway. However, no additional comments could be obtained so far.
