Bhubaneswar, May 19 : Odisha Police on Monday arrested a fraudster on the charges of duping a rape victim of Rs 1.1 lakh on the pretext of facilitating her get the financial compensation sanctioned by the government.

The accused, identified as Amiya Kumar Sahoo (45), who hails from Jagatsinghpur district, is currently staying in the Balianta area of Bhubaneswar. Earlier on Sunday, Sangita Singh, the lady accomplice of the accused Sahoo, was arrested by the Cuttack police and forwarded to court in connection with the cheating case.

The victim lodged a written report at Lalbag police station in Cuttack on May 17, alleging that one Sangita Singh and others had cheated her by misappropriating Rs 1.1 lakh out of her compensation amount worth Rs 3.75 lakh sanctioned by the Odisha government.

Following the receipt of the case, police registered a case and launched an investigation into the allegations. The cops during investigation found that the complainant was entitled to compensation as a victim of sexual abuse, while the financial assistance was to be sanctioned from the office of the District Welfare Officer, Collectorate Cuttack.

Sahoo, who was working as a DEO and Office Assistant in the afore-mentioned office, conspired with his accomplice, Singh, and others to extort money from the victim's sanctioned compensation.

The accused Singh, is employed as a PET at Janata Nodal Bidyapitha, Poda Diha, under Begunia Block in Khordha.

'With a premeditated plan, Sahoo shared the victim's details with the criminal syndicate, and the female accused Singh, identified herself as a staff member of the Collectorate contacted the victim in January this year saying that they would ensure that the victim got her compensation amount at the earliest," said a police official.

Meanwhile, the victim received her compensation amount of Rs 3.75 lakh in her bank account in March 2025. After the accused persons came to know about this, Singh again contacted the victim on March 22, and said that they actually helped her get an enhanced compensation amount and insisted that the victim pay Rs 1.1 lakh from the sanctioned amount, or else they would deduct the same from it.

Feeling helpless, the victim succumbed to the scheme of the accused and transferred the demanded amount in three separate transactions to two different PhonePe numbers.

When the victim ascertained that the amount received by her was the actual compensation amount, she requested the fraudsters to return her money, but to no avail. Finding no other way, she finally lodged a complaint with the police.

/IANS