Pahala Police have achieved a major breakthrough in a high-value recruitment scam, arresting the alleged mastermind accused of duping a young man of over ₹10.53 lakh on the pretext of securing him a permanent job at the state-run GAIL (India) Limited.
The accused, identified as 40-year-old Prashant Kumar Das—a native of Pathuria Sahi in Kataka’s Badamba area—was apprehended from Ostanarayanpur under the Narasinghpur police limits in Cuttack district and has been forwarded to court.
Exploiting a Neighbor’s Trust
According to police reports, Das was residing as a tenant in Vishnu Vihar, Gokuldham Society in Bhubaneswar’s Rudrapur area, right next to the complainant, Rashmiman Biswal. Leveraging their proximity and growing friendship, Das allegedly fabricated claims in August 2025 of having direct connections with top-ranking government officials.
Promising a permanent position in GAIL India’s Operations Department, the accused demanded a total of ₹15 lakh to facilitate the recruitment.
The Financial Trail and Extortion Threats
Convinced by his neighbour’s assurances, Biswal transferred ₹8,03,230 via online transactions from his HDFC Bank account in multiple instalments and handed over an additional ₹2,50,000 in cash—bringing the total amount paid to ₹10,53,230.
However, when the promised appointment failed to materialise, Biswal confronted the accused. Das initially stalled with various excuses before switching off his mobile phone and absconding. When the victim later managed to reach him to demand a refund, Das allegedly issued death threats and attempted to extort an additional ₹4 lakh.
The Arrest
Following a formal complaint lodged at the Pahala Police Station this November, investigators registered a case and launched a probe. Relying on technical surveillance and bank transaction records, a special team from Pahala Police, in coordination with Narasinghpur Police, raided a relative’s residence in Ostanarayanpur and took Das into custody. Further investigation into the case is currently underway.
