Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police in the Odisha capital here today arrested a 32-year-old man on charges of duping a businessman of over Rs 1 crore on the pretext of facilitating the purchase of a luxury car at a discounted rate. 

The accused has been identified as Sambit Panda, son of Bidyut Chandra Panda, of Sailashree Vihar under Chandrasekharpur police limits in the capital city here.

According to police, the businessman had come in contact with Panda, who identified himself as a freelance car broker and luxury vehicle reseller, in March 2023.

Panda had promised the business to facilitate the purchase of a luxury car at discounted rate within a month.

As per the deal, the businessman had provided Rs 1.08 crore to Panda for purchasing the luxury vehicle. However, Panda did not arrange the vehicle for the businessman.

The accused allegedly threatened the businessman when he sought his money back. The victim later came to know that Panda had produced forged documents to dupe him.

Besides, the victim got the information that Panda was involved in similar cases of cheating in the past.

The Infocity Police in the capital city here had registered a case in this regard under various Sections of the BNS and launched a probe.

The police today arrested Panda from a vehicle showroom in Cantonment area of the Cuttack city. During interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime, said the police.