In a major breakthrough, the Saheednagar Police in Bhubaneswar have dismantled a sophisticated racket involving middlemen, or “dalals,” who were impersonating Regional Transport Office (RTO) staff.
The operation targeted fraudulent activities at RTO-I in Acharya Vihar, where nine individuals were arrested for extorting illegal payments from the public.
The arrested persons were involved in demanding unauthorised fees for essential transport services, including driving licenses (DL), No Objection Certificates (NOC), vehicle registrations, and other related processes.
According to police reports, these dalals systematically cheated citizens by obstructing their access to legitimate RTO officials and charging exorbitant rates—often several times higher than the government-approved fees.
During interrogations, the group confessed to posing as RTO employees to deceive unsuspecting people. They made false promises regarding services such as vehicle insurance, fitness certificates, and registrations, luring victims with assurances of quick processing while pocketing the illicit gains.
In the raid, authorities seized nine laptops and two printers, which were allegedly used to fabricate documents and facilitate their scams.
