Chhatrapur: Police arrested four persons including three imposters posing as GST officers on a charge of defrauding a truck driver of Rs 1.40 lakh after assaulting him and looting pan masala worth lakhs in Ganjam district. The accused were identified as Simanchal Panda, 58, of Minakshi Nagar under Gosaninuagaon police limits, Susant Kumar Dalai, 35, alias Dipu and T Gopal Rao of Bajrangi Nagar near Chhatrapur sub-jail under this police limit, Debashish Pattnaik, 30, alias Jaga of Bank Colony in Chhatrapur. This was stated here by ASP PK Dalai in the presence of Chhatrapur IIC Satya Ranjan Pradhan at a press meet held at the Chhatrapur police station, Monday.
The looted cash worth Rs 1.40 lakh, 60 packets of pan masala worth lakhs, and five mobile phones were seized from their possession. Two cars used in the crime were also seized from their possession. They were produced in court in a case registered at the Chhatrapur police station. The ASP said that Seemanchal Panda used to buy rice and pan masala and transport it to Nani Raju, a local trader of Andhra Pradesh. In course of their business, Seemanchal owed an outstanding loan of Rs 14 lakh to Nani Raju.
However, Nani Raju did not clear the outstanding loan despite repeated reminders by Seemanchal. Left with no option, Seemanchal along with Susant, Debashis and Gopal hatched a plan to teach Nani Raju a lesson.
Accordingly, Susant, Debashis and Gopal identifying themselves as GST officers waylaid a truck carrying rice and pan masala for Nai Raju near a temple under Chhatrapur police limits and demanded Rs 5 lakh as a bribe to cover up the fraud in the transportation of the consignment. The driver informed Nani Raju following which the latter send Rs 1.30 lakh to Gopal’s bank account and Rs 10,000 to Debashis’s account. They also looted the pan masala in the truck leaving behind the rice and fled. Later, the truck driver lodged a complaint at the Chhatrapur police station about the loot.