A 28-year-old serial fraudster was arrested on Saturday for allegedly extorting money from political workers by posing as the personal assistant to BJP national president Nitin Nabin.
The accused has been identified as Jagannath Mandal, a resident of Panchama under the Golanthara police station jurisdiction in Ganjam, Odisha.
He allegedly used digital platforms to threaten local political workers and demanded cash for party operations, as reported by the Times Of India.
Mandal targeted a complainant who was working under Chikiti MLA Manoranjan Dyansamantara.
On April 1, Mandal allegedly contacted the complainant via WhatsApp, claiming to be the personal assistant of the BJP national president, and demanded Rs 50,000 for party-related work. When the complainant questioned his identity and credentials, Mandal allegedly threatened to lodge a false complaint against him with the MLA and Nitin Nabin.
Following the extortion attempt, the victim lodged a formal complaint at the Town police station on Friday.
Inter-State Operations
During the investigation, officials discovered the fraudulent operation extended across multiple jurisdictions within the city.
A similar complaint was also lodged by another man at the Bada Bazaar police station, detailing an identical modus operandi. Based on these dual complaints, the police officially registered criminal cases against the accused at both the Bada Bazaar and Town police stations to initiate a coordinated probe.
Prior Criminal Record
A preliminary probe supervised by senior officials revealed that the accused is a repeat offender with a history of executing similar crimes.
SP (Berhampur) Saravana Vivek M said the preliminary probe revealed that the accused was also arrested on Dec 13, 2024, in a cheating case.
He resided in Surat, Gujarat, and Berhampur and was engaged in fraudulent activities, including making hoax calls to political workers while impersonating personal assistants of prominent political figures.
Official Advisory On Verification Protocols
Following the arrest, the district police administration issued a public safety advisory targeting political workers, party executives, and the general public to prevent future targeting by impersonators.
Police advised people to remain vigilant against impersonation and fraudulent calls. Any suspicious calls of this nature should be reported to the nearest police station immediately.