Odisha man arrested for posing as college principal to dupe students of admission fees

Attabira police in Bargarh district arrested a 20-year-old man on Sunday for allegedly duping students and parents by posing as a college principal to extort admission fees. Pabitra Naik, a resident of Talapanga village under the Kashipur police limits in Rayagada district, was taken into custody after a detailed investigation into a series of fraudulent activities targeting aspiring students.

The arrest followed a formal complaint lodged by Premananda Singh of Kulunda, who reported that he had been defrauded of Rs 8,535 through UPI payments in June. According to police records, Singh received a call on June 25 from an unknown mobile number. The caller claimed to be associated with Larambha College and informed Singh that a payment of Rs 8,535 had to be made via the principal’s payment scanner. The caller threatened that if the payment was not processed, the admission of Singh's son would not be completed.

Believing the caller's claims, Singh executed four separate UPI transactions: three payments of Rs 2,000 each and a final transaction of Rs 2,535. It was only after these payments were made that Singh realized he had been cheated and approached the authorities for help.

Based on Singh's complaint, Attabira police registered a criminal 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 Information Technology (IT) Act.

During the subsequent investigation, police uncovered the accused's background and method of operation. Investigators found that Naik had been working as a marketing agent for an engineering college. In this capacity, he had travelled to various parts of Odisha, specifically visiting educational institutions where he collected the mobile numbers of students and parents from available databases.

Police revealed that in June 2026, Naik procured 18 SIM cards in his own name to facilitate his scheme. Using these numbers, he contacted students while posing as college principals or clerks, sending them payment scanners and threatening that their admissions would be cancelled if the money was not transferred immediately.

Further probes revealed that Naik had allegedly cheated several other students in the Bargarh district using the same modus operandi throughout July. Two additional victims were identified: Kedar Nath Rana of Patkulunda and Nitei Pal of Chinajuri, both of whom were allegedly cheated of Rs 20,000 each on the pretext of securing college admissions.

Upon his arrest, police seized 10 SIM cards, two mobile phones, and three cheque books from Naik’s possession. The accused was produced in court on Sunday.

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