Two brothers arrested for posing as ED officers, extorting money

Bhubaneswar: Two brothers were arrested by the Special Task Force in Odisha for impersonating themselves as Enforcement Directorate officers and extorting money from government officials, sources said on Sunday

The STF identified the accused as Tarinisen Mohapatra (30) and his brother Brahmashankar Mohapatra (27). They were arrested from their home in Dhenkanal on Saturday. The brothers had borrowed money and were not being able to repay the lenders. So, they hatched a plan to cheat government employees.

Posing as “Additional Director of ED Bhubaneswar”, they contacted about 300 officers of different government departments of the State over the phone.

The STF said they would generally tell a government official that a case has been instituted against him based on a complaint from the Vigilance department relating to a corruption case and ED is about to begin inquiry. They asked for money to settle the so-called case.