Pahala police have arrested Ranjib Kumar Pradhan for allegedly cheating a woman and her family of Rs22 lakh by posing as a doctor and fabricating a marriage proposal involving a fictitious brother.
According to the police, Pradhan created a fake profile on a matrimony website in 2021 under the name Dr Prakash Pradhan. Using this false identity, he approached the complainant’s family, claiming that his younger brother, Tushar Pradhan, was employed as a deputy manager with the State Bank of India in Rayagada.
By presenting himself as a well-settled professional and promising a respectable marriage alliance, Pradhan gained the family’s trust. He allegedly convinced the woman’s father to hand over Rs22 lakh, claiming the amount would be invested in various bank policies for financial security.
After receiving the money, Pradhan abruptly stopped responding to calls and messages, raising suspicion. The woman subsequently lodged a complaint at the Pahala police station.
During the investigation, police found that Pradhan was neither a doctor nor did he have any brothers. Technical analysis revealed that the two mobile numbers used in the fraud were linked to the same handset and operated solely by him.
Call detail records and bank account verification further confirmed that Pradhan impersonated both Dr Prakash Pradhan and Tushar Pradhan to execute the fraud and mislead the family.
Based on the evidence collected, police arrested Pradhan and produced him before a local court for further legal proceedings.
