Odisha man arrested for duping students via fake college admissions

Attabira police arrested 20-year-old Pabitra Naik on Sunday for allegedly impersonating college principals and clerks to extort money from students and their parents. Naik, a resident of Talapanga under Kashipur police limits in Rayagada district, reportedly used mobile numbers obtained from educational databases to contact victims and demand payments via UPI scanners. The arrest follows complaints from several victims in Bargarh district who were threatened with admission cancellations if they did not transfer funds.

How did the fraud occur?

According to police, the scam was reported by Premananda Singh of Kulunda, who stated he received a call on June 25 from an individual claiming to be associated with Larambha College. The caller demanded Rs 8,535 via a principal's payment scanner, stating the admission would not be completed otherwise. Singh subsequently made four UPI payments, totaling Rs 8,535, through three transactions of Rs 2,000 and one of Rs 2,535. He later realised he had been cheated and approached the police.

During the investigation, police discovered that Naik worked as a marketing agent for an engineering college and had travelled across Odisha, particularly to educational institutions, where he collected mobile numbers of students and parents from databases. Police said in June 2026, he allegedly procured 18 SIM cards in his name to facilitate the fraud. He would pose as college officials and use payment scanners to demand money under the threat of cancelling admissions. Investigators revealed that Naik sent payment scanner links to victims and warned them that their wards' admissions would be cancelled if the money was not transferred immediately.

Who else was affected?

Police found that Naik had targeted several other students in Bargarh district using the same method in July. Victims Kedar Nath Rana of Patkulunda and Nitei Pal of Chinajuri were allegedly cheated of Rs 20,000 each under the pretext of college admissions. Officials suspect there may be more victims given the scale of the operation, which involved multiple SIM cards and a systematic approach to harvesting contact details from college databases.

What legal action has been taken?

Attabira police registered a case under sections 318(3) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as sections 66-C and 66-D of the IT Act. Authorities seized 10 SIM cards, two mobile phones, and three cheque books from Naik's possession. The accused was produced in court on Sunday. Police stated that further investigation is underway to identify the full extent of the fraud and any possible accomplices.