A retired Government employee of Rajgangpur area was duped of Rs40,900 by two conmen. Sources said Anandbasi Ekka(60), a resident of Jharberna panchayat is a former employee in the electricity department.
On August 20, two persons came to him and identified them as accounts personnel from the electricity department. They told Ekka that they had come to check whether he was getting correct pension amount or not.They asked Ekka to show his bank passbook and when Ekka showed his passbook to them, the duo immediately told Ekka that he was getting less pension than what he should be getting. They assured Ekka that he would get his balance amount in arrears.
While leaving his house, they took Ekka’s pension book number, account number, phone number and had assured him that they would call him in two days.On Saturday, the duo called Ekka on his mobile and told him that he had to depositRs16, 200 in an account number to get his arrears. Ekka went to a bank and deposited the sum in an account number given to him. Then they informed the duo that he had obliged as directed. Soon, the duo told him to deposit another Rs24,700 to get an arrear amount of Rs4,28,000.
Ekka again did it and waited inside the bank for a longtime to check if his arrears had been credited to his account. However, when he finally checked his account he found to his shock that no arrears were credited.
Suspecting foul play, Ekka verified about the account number and found that the account holder was one S Toppo and the account number belonged to the State Bank of India, lathikata branch. On further inquiry Ekka got to know that the cash he deposited had been withdrawn from a Baripada-based ATM in no time.Shocked Ekka had not lodged any FIR yet. “We have not yet received any FIR regarding the cheating,” said Rajgangpur Police Station IIC SK Sethi.