Koraput: A day after the arrest of a 34-year-old man in Rourkela for his involvement in fraud cases across Odisha, police on Sunday said investigation revealed that he duped his victims of around Rs 1 crore since 2016.According to police, Laxmikanta Panda had allegedly duped several people by promising subsidized loans, financial assistance and opening of bank accounts. During the investigation, police uncovered his links to fraud cases registered in Cuttack, Puri, Jajpur, Balasore and Bhadrak. Investigators also found that he had been absconding in earlier cases and that a non-bailable warrant had been issued against him in Balasore district. “The accused appears to be a habitual offender involved in organised economic offences. The assets found in his possession were far greater than his income and he failed to satisfactorily explain the source of the properties recovered from him. These findings are corroborated by complaints lodged by multiple victims in different FIRs,” Jeypore SDPO Archita Mittal said.Police said the investigation began after several residents lodged complaints at Jeypore Town police station on May 11 alleging that they had been cheated by Panda. During the probe, technical evidence and intelligence inputs gathered with the help of the cyber cell revealed that the accused was hiding in Rourkela, following which a special team was formed to apprehend him.Subsequently, police raided his hideout in Rourkela and arrested him. During search and seizure operations conducted in the presence of independent witnesses, valuables worth around Rs 20 lakh were recovered and seized following due legal procedures.Meanwhile, police appealed to the public to remain cautious against fraudulent financial schemes. “People should not trust offers promising quick returns or loans at subsidised interest rates. Citizens should never share OTPs with anyone and should preferably use digital payment modes, which help in traceability and serve as evidence during investigation,” Mittal added.
