Eight Held In Bhubaneswar For Posing As CID Officers, Running Extortion Racket
The accused were apprehended while allegedly attempting to extort money outside a private educational institution under the Chandrasekharpur police limits. Police acted swiftly on a tip-off and detained the group from the spot. They were later produced before a local court
Bhubaneswar: In a significant crackdown, the Chandrasekharpur police in Odisha capital Bhubaneswar on Friday arrested eight persons, including four women, for allegedly impersonating officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and extorting money from educational institutions and business establishments across the city.
The accused were apprehended while allegedly attempting to extort money outside a private educational institution under the Chandrasekharpur police limits. Police acted swiftly on a tip-off and detained the group from the spot. They were later produced before a local court.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused had been operating a private detective agency in the Patrapada area for the past three to five years. Under the guise of conducting official inspections, they allegedly threatened and intimidated institution authorities by citing fabricated irregularities, coercing them into paying money.
The group is also suspected of targeting prominent business establishments using similar tactics. In several instances, they reportedly marked premises with red notices or flags, falsely claiming that the properties had been seized as part of official action.
On Thursday, the accused allegedly entered an engineering college, posed as CID officers, and disrupted ongoing examinations. Despite being confronted, they continued to assert their false identities until police intervened following a complaint from the college authorities.
During sustained questioning at the police station, all eight individuals reportedly confessed to their involvement in the racket. However, the alleged kingpin of the operation managed to flee before police could raid and seal the detective agency office.
The arrested persons have been identified as Puja Behera, Pratima Parida, Jenamani Pradhan, Saubhagya Sahu, Dharmendra Boitai, Manoj Kumar Mishra, Annapurna Panda and Nilu Nayak.
Police said further investigation was underway to trace the absconding mastermind and to ascertain the full extent of the racket, including the total amount extorted and the number of victims.