NRI Conman Arrested in Odisha for Job Fraud Scheme Targeting Professionals
Odisha Police Capture NRI Fraudster
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Police have apprehended an NRI con artist accused of defrauding professionals out of substantial sums under the guise of securing lucrative overseas employment, as stated by Odisha Crime Branch DGP Vinaytosh Mishra on Friday.
The suspect, Bishnu Prasad Pattnaik, also known as Biranchi Narayan, is originally from the Begunia area in Khurda district.
According to Mishra, the accused swindled a qualified aeronautical engineer, who graduated from a college in Coimbatore, out of Rs 90 lakh by falsely promising a position with British Airways and subsequently with Lufthansa Airways.
Pattnaik even fabricated fake offer and appointment letters to mislead the victim, who hails from Gunupur.
Following a complaint from the victim, a case was initiated at the Gunupur police station in Rayagada district on October 29, 2018.
The Crime Branch later took over the investigation, registering a new case related to the incident.
In a separate incident reported at the Gunupur police station on September 24, 2018, the fraudster deceived a woman out of Rs 15 lakh by falsely assuring her that he could help her son, an engineer in Electronic and Instrumentation Engineering, secure a high-paying job in Malaysia.
During the investigation of these cases, the Crime Branch uncovered Pattnaik's involvement in another fraud case from Bissamcuttack Police Station dating back to April 9, 2002.
The police have submitted a charge sheet in this case, indicating that Pattnaik was absconding.
The Crime Branch noted that he often presented himself as a medical doctor, professor, or engineer to gain the trust of his victims. However, his credentials were found to be questionable during the inquiry.
He created forged offer and appointment letters using the names of international consulting firms and also fabricated documents such as address proof and driving licenses to hide his identity.
While the investigation was ongoing, Pattnaik fled to Cambodia, allegedly obtaining a second passport to further obscure his identity. A Look Out Circular was issued against him on January 17, 2019, which was later extended in 2020. He has reportedly been residing in Cambodia since 2012, claiming to have established an IT company there, which is currently under scrutiny.
Despite the Look Out Circular, he managed to return to Odisha multiple times by deceiving law enforcement. Authorities confirmed that Pattnaik is linked to numerous job fraud cases across Visakhapatnam, Berhampur, Bhubaneswar, and other regions.
His last visit to Odisha was in 2023, and after monitoring his movements, it was discovered that he returned to India in May 2025. The Crime Branch, utilizing technical intelligence, tracked his arrival and arrested him in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
In a statement to the media, the Crime Branch DGP announced that they would soon seek court remand for Pattnaik to facilitate further investigation.