New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: A 48-year-old man from Odisha, accused of duping people of Rs15 crore by promising them to provide work orders for transportation of Covid vaccines across different states during 2021 Covid pandemic, has been arrested by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police, an official said Friday.
The arrested accused –Prafulla Kumar Nayak – resided in Pandav Nagar area of Delhi and hailed from Odisha.
According to Additional Commissioner of Police (EOW) Amrutha Guguloth, the crackdown came while investigating a case registered in 2022 following a complaint by Sunil Kaushik. “The complainant alleged that he was defrauded of Rs4 crore under the pretext of securing government contracts for vaccine transportation,” Guguloth said, adding that four more complaints revealed a similar modus operandi, with the accused collectively duping victims of over Rs15 crore.
Investigations revealed that Nayak, who impersonated an officer from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, played a key role in duping victims by promising work orders related to Covid-19 vaccine transportation during the pandemic, Guguloth said. “In May 2021, the accused lured victims by arranging meetings within the premises of Nirman Bhawan, the Ministry’s headquarters. Forged work orders were issued and trust was gained by leveraging illicit access to the government complex through a bribed Ministry employee,” the officer said.
Eight other accused, including the kingpin, Hermenn Sabherwal, were arrested in 2022. Ministry employees, including a reception officer and two multi-tasking staff, had already been apprehended for their involvement,” the officer said in the statement.
Nayak had been absconding since then. “Due to the strenuous efforts of the EOW, he was finally arrested January 21,” Guguloth pointed out.
