Bhubaneswar: In a major crackdown on a financial fraud operation, Income Tax (IT) officials Tuesday conducted raids at 12 locations across the country, including an apartment in Bhubaneswar, a business office in Raghunathpur, and other sites in Jharsuguda, Delhi, Gurgaon, and Jharkhand. The raids are linked to a multi-crore scam involving a couple who allegedly swindled businessmen, builders, and miners through extortion and deceit. The IT raid targeted the apartment of Hansita Abhilipsa, 38, and Anil Mohanty 40, who were arrested last year December 26 in connection with the case.
A senior police official confirmed that IT sleuths, accompanied by Infocity police gained entry into the couple’s apartment by breaking the door lock. During the search, officials seized several luxury items, including four high-end cars parked in the garage, along with crucial documents and two smartphones for further investigation.
According to sources, the couple came under suspicion after a mining executive lodged a complaint against them. The executive accused the couple of attempting to extort a large sum of money, threatening him with false legal charges when he refused to comply. Investigators discovered that Hansita had changed her name from Bishnupriya Chand in 2023, possibly to evade the authorities and avoid detection for her involvement in previous criminal cases.
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Sources from the Infocity police station revealed that the couple posed as relatives of a senior Central government bureaucrat and used this false identity to extort money from builders and miners. They allegedly promised businessmen lucrative government tenders in exchange for bribes. The IT department is currently scrutinising the couple’s bank accounts to assess the full scale of the fraudulent transactions. Authorities are examining the bank transactions of the couple to probe any suspected involvement of financial fraud.
