Cyber Fraud / Fake IAS Officer Nabbed in Puri Cyber Fraud

Puri, Oct 19: Puri cyber police have arrested a man accused of orchestrating a major fraud by impersonating an IAS officer and duping victims of lakhs of rupees.

The accused, identified as 44‑year‑old Balabhadra Mishra from Anugola, allegedly posed as a senior bureaucrat to threaten and manipulate a woman he met through a matrimonial site.

Police said Mishra first contacted the complainant via the “Bharat Matrimony” app, introducing himself as an Additional Secretary from Chhattisgarh. He later obtained her phone number and began pressuring her with threats of transfer to remote areas.

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Investigators revealed that Mishra forced the woman to open three bank accounts in SBI, HDFC, and Indian Overseas Bank, all linked to his mobile number. He then took possession of her passbooks, cheque books, debit and credit cards.

Using these accounts as mule accounts, he fraudulently secured loans amounting to ₹6.5 lakh in her name.

The victim lodged a complaint with the cyber police after discovering the loans. Acting on the tip, Puri cyber police arrested Mishra and seized a Toyota car, ₹10,000 cash, 14 passbooks, nine cheque books, and 17 debit and credit cards.

Police confirmed that Mishra already faces serious cyber fraud charges in Sambalpur and Bhubaneswar. “The accused introduced himself as an IAS officer and used threats to exploit the victim. He has been arrested and further investigation is underway,” officials said.

Authorities are now probing the extent of Mishra’s network and whether more victims were targeted through similar schemes.