Odisha tech institute accountant arrested for duping owner of Rs 20 lakh

Reported by Santosh Jagdev
Bhubaneswar, May 29:

Commissionerate Police (CP) today arrested a person working as an accountant in a technical institute located in Mancheswar industrial area of the capital city of Odisha on charges of duping the owner, a city based businessman, of Rs 20 lakhs, CP sources said.

The accused accountant was identified as Aswini Kumar Panda, who hails from Jalarpur under Niali police limits in Cuttack district.

The arrest was made on the basis of a complaint lodged by the businessman, owner of the Swosti Institute of Industrial Technology (SIIT), at the Mancheswar police station here on March 11 this year.

According to police, Panda, who has been working as an accountant in the institute since 2008, was absconding from November last year after duping Rs 20 lakhs from aspirants.

He used to receive money from the students who had taken admission in the institute towards semester fees and hostel accommodation fees without giving them the money receipt. Thereafter, the accused deposited the received money in multiple accounts opened by him in various banks in the city, the police added.

“We have arrested Panda from his native place in Cuttack district today and investigation is on to verify the transaction made by him in various banks,” said a police official of the Mancheswar police station

The accused was forwarded to a local court here today.

The institute offers regular and distance courses to the students who want to pursue ITI, Diploma, MBA and MCA.