Staff Reporter
YUPIA, 5 Jun: The Papum Pare police in a major breakthrough arrested a person who was allegedly involved in duping people with false promises of providing benefits under government schemes.
The person, one Waiter Dada, was recently arrested for duping people, particularly old persons, with promises of providing benefits under government schemes. He first came under the police’s radar after one Nabam Tai, of Yupia, lodged a complaint, alleging that a stranger looted him of his two local beads worth Rs 40 lakhs, on the pretext of providing benefits under government schemes.
“On 16 February, a written complaint was received from 70-year-old Nabam Tai, in which he alleged that one unknown person riding a scooter stopped him and offered to drop him home. Later, the stranger looted his local beads. Hence, on receipt of complaint a case (u/s 341/392 IPC) was registered and endorsed to SI MK Rai for investigation,” informed Papum Pare SP Dr Neelam Nega.
During investigation, and on visiting the place of occurrence, a mobile phone, suspected to be of the accused, was found. Thereafter, the contacts list on the mobile phone was searched and inquiries were made.
“Accordingly, an alternate existing mobile number of the alleged accused was found. Also, during further checking of some of the CCTV cameras located at Khola Camp trijunction near the government collge in Doimukh, one scooter with the rider was spotted, which matched the description given by the complainant,” the SP added.
Based on further inputs and technical surveillance, the accused, Waiter Dada, was apprehended from Hati Mata, Naharlagun, with the same scooter seen in CCTV camera by investigating officer SI MK Rai and a team, under the supervision of the SP.
“A chain of local beads and an amount of Rs 30,000 was recovered from his house. The accused person revealed his modus operandi and stated that he used to target old persons in lonely places by enticing them with fake stories of some government subsidy available in their names,” the SP informed.
“The accused made them believe that these amounts could be availed by paying a certain amount. On further examination, he confessed that he has robbed around 40 old and weak people so far. He has also revealed his area of operation – from Banderdewa to Doimukh, Naharlagun, Itanagar (including sector roads) and Jullang,” the SP added.
He advised the public not to believe in such fake stories and not fall prey to such scams.
