Odisha Police Crack Down: Massive Seizure in 20 Crore Fraud Case

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Police has confiscated properties from Rama Narayan Bal, accused of scamming over 20 crore rupees by impersonating a bank officer. Bal is in judicial custody and has had various high-value assets seized, including 10 vehicles and 144 mobile phones.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Police struck a major blow against fraudulent activities by confiscating several properties from an accused in a massive cheating case, an official reported on Tuesday. The perpetrator, Rama Narayan Bal from Bhadrak district, was detained on October 29 following a complaint by one of his victims.

Bal, posing as an officer from a nationalised bank, duped individuals out of crores of rupees under the guise of facilitating property purchases from loan defaulters' bank auctions. The EOW official revealed that Bal had swindled more than 20 crore rupees from at least nine individuals, including the complainant.

During police remand, interrogation revealed Bal's ownership of considerable assets acquired through illicit means, in both his name and those of relatives. On December 20, EOW officers conducted operations at Bal's residential and business sites in Bhadrak and Bhubaneswar, resulting in the seizure of 10 vehicles, 144 mobile phones, and sound systems.

(With inputs from agencies.)