A police constable has been arrested for trying to extort money by posing as a Maoist in Odisha’s Rayagada district.
The police have seized a 9 mm revolver, live bullets, three mobile phones and a two-wheeler from the possession of G. Srikant Kumar, who was posted as a reserve constable in District Intelligence and Operation Centre in Rayagada.
Kumar had allegedly claimed to be a Maoist and demanded money from a bitumen factory owner, Sawan Kumar Mohanty, who stays in Jeypore town of Koraput district. He had threatened to murder the supervisor and torch the factory in Gotiguda village if the money was not paid. On September 5, Mr. Mohanty lodged a complaint regarding the threat at Bisamkatak police station.
Tracking the mobile number used for making the call and subsequent investigation revealed that a police constable was behind the extortion bid. Kumar was arrested on Sunday.
