Baripada: The Khunta police Tuesday arrested a man from Damodarpur village near here in Mayurbhanj district on a charge of marrying a woman by posing himself as an IAS officer. The accused was Rajat Panda of Tihidi area in Bhadrak district.
Police said Rajat married a girl of Damodarpur area after creating a facebook account in which he introduced himself as Lingaraj Panda, IAS officer and sub collector of Malkangiri district. He befriended the girl on the social media site, convinced her parents of his interest in her and of the job he held, and married her at a temple in Udala area May 20.
Since then, he was staying at his in-laws’ house in Damodarpur. The matter came to light after some villagers noticed his suspicious activities and alerted the cops.
During the probe, police found Panda had several cases pending against his name at Malkangiri and other police stations. He has been put under arrest immediately.
However, his in-laws have not lodged any police complaint against him.
Panda had been arrested in 2015 for his alleged involvement in the Seashore Group chit fund scam and lodged in the Jharpada Special Jail in Bhubaneswar for 18 months. There are several other cases of fraud pending against him at different police stations.
PNN