Barpeta, May 17: A man accused of defrauding people across different parts of Assam and allegedly siphoning off lakhs of rupees through multiple scams has been arrested by police in Barpeta district.
The accused, identified as Dharmeswar Roy, was taken into custody following an investigation into several alleged cheating cases registered across the state.
According to police, Roy initially came in contact with a young woman from Barpeta through Facebook and later allegedly extracted more than ₹10 lakh from her after promising to secure employment.
Investigators said the accused allegedly operated several fake Facebook identities, at times presenting himself as a businessman, contractor or government official. Police alleged that he used these identities to lure people through false offers involving vehicle sales on OLX, vehicle rental arrangements and job opportunities.
The arrest was carried out by a police team led by Samiran Baishya and Shailen Kalita.
During the investigation, police said several details emerged linking the accused to multiple cases. Authorities stated that 22 cases of cheating under Section 420 had already been registered against him at police stations including Panbazar, Latasil, Paltan Bazar, Chandmari, Basistha, Dispur and Noonmati.
Police further said several people across Assam had reportedly lost money after allegedly falling victim to the schemes.
A case has been registered against the accused under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Police said he has been sent to four days of police custody following court approval for further interrogation.
