Berhampur: Police arrested a 51-year-old man on Tuesday for allegedly playing a role in a land sale fraud and cheating an advocate of around Rs 1.4 crore in silk city, police said on Wednesday.The accused was identified as Suraj Kumar Mishra, a resident of Old Town, Bhubaneswar, police said. A case was registered against Mishra at Berhampur Town police station under different sections of BNS on Sept 7 after an advocate of silk city lodged an FIR against him, and he was arrested after police obtained prima facie evidence.Police said the complainant had entered into agreements with the accused for sale dated Jan 5 and Jan 24, 2023, with the power-of-attorney holders of land exceeding 4 acres at Shankarpur mouza under Berhampur tehsil. The total deal was fixed at Rs 2.77 crore.The complainant alleged he had paid Rs 1.4 crore as advance through a bank and in cash to the accused. Subsequently, Rs 60,000 was also paid to the accused online on Feb 13 last year towards legal heir certificate expenses. Despite receiving the money, the accused allegedly failed to execute the sale deed or return the amount and secretly sold the land to a third party.When the complainant demanded his money, he was allegedly threatened, police said.During investigation, agreement papers, affidavits and online transaction documents were seized, and witnesses were examined, police said. Further investigation was underway to arrest the other co-accused and recover the cheated money, police said.In another case, Paralakhemundi police in Gajapati district on Tuesday arrested a 35-year-old man from Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh for cheating a person in Paralakhemundi of Rs 16 lakh. The accused was identified as Kelli Udaya Kumar, and the accused and the complainant had known each other for long. The complainant had arranged the money for the accused for construction of his house, as he had assured repayment soon.The accused assured repayment with interest at the rate of 15% and executed two promissory notes on June 24 and 30 last year before a notary in Paralakhemundi. He also issued two bank cheques, which had allegedly bounced.Despite repeated demands to repay the amount, the accused allegedly avoided repayment, fled away from his native place and threatened the complainant with consequences. During investigation, sufficient prima facie evidence was found against the accused, a resident of Jagannadhapuram under Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam, who was arrested, police said.
