Bhubaneswar: The Special Task Force (STF) of Crime Branch Thursday urged people duped by the fraudster Kahnu Charan Pradhan and his associates to come forward and lodge a complaint with the police by calling on the toll-free phone number ‘1800345710’. The STF has reportedly found the involvement of Pradhan in at least six more fraud cases registered at the Chandpur police station in Nayagarh district. The cops suspect that Pradhan and associates impersonating RTI activist and senior government officials have duped several others in different parts of the state. The victims have been requested to contact STF on the above toll-free number for necessary action against the accused persons. The cops, during the course of investigation, came to know that the accused Pradhan by impersonating himself as a top government official had forcibly taken possession of a foreign liquor shop.
In another case, the accused, by falsely identifying himself as the Additional Home Secretary, had duped the headmaster of one Bankanidhideba Vidyapitha of several lakhs on the promise of facilitating grants for the school. Pradhan, also impersonating an officer of state Home department, cheated a person of Rs.3.6 lakh promising him to give him a cashew orchard. The cops have so far seized the fake ID cards in the name of Assistant Director (Tech), Director of PS & P, Odisha, Cuttack, Chairman SC & ST Welfare, Home Dept., CZM (Special Project) National Highway Authority of India, CCM (Special Project) National Highway Authority of India and the CCM Project, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) from the possession of Pradhan. Notably, STF was arrested by Pradhan Sunday while his associate Kishore Kumar Mishra was held from Koraput August 17.