Overview
- Police arrested 28-year-old Jagannath Mandal on Saturday after two people filed complaints that he posed as BJP national president Nitin Nabin’s personal assistant to demand money.
- Investigators say Mandal used a WhatsApp number on April 1 to seek Rs 50,000 from two individuals and threatened to lodge complaints with the party chief if they did not pay.
- Cases were registered at Berhampur’s Town and Bada Bazar police stations, and officers seized a mobile phone and screenshots provided by the complainants as digital evidence.
- A preliminary probe found Mandal had a December 13, 2024 cheating arrest on record and that he moved between Surat and Berhampur while carrying out hoax calls and similar frauds.
- Police have urged people to verify anyone claiming to represent political leaders before sending money or sharing details, warning that messaging apps are increasingly used for targeted impersonation extortion.