Odisha: Tata Power Worker Swindles ₹20 Lakh with Fake Bill Receipts, Arrested

Bhubaneswar: A senior Tata Power official has been arrested in Odisha on suspicion of orchestrating an electricity scam worth an estimated Rs 20 lakh.

The accused, Arun Jena, is a commercial section officer from Sargaon. He is alleged to have generated bogus bills or collected cash payments without providing receipts.

The scam came to light after several consumers complained that they had been overcharged by Jena. One of the affected consumers, Pramod Panda, who manages an ice factory, reportedly made monthly payments ranging from Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 for electricity charges to Jena. However, he was shocked to find that his electricity was disconnected due to unpaid bills.

Upon investigation, Panda found that the receipts he had received from Jena were fraudulent. He had actually only paid Rs 62,000, but the outstanding amount on his bill was Rs 2.27 lakh.

Similarly, another victim, Sushil Bhuiyan, received monthly bills between Rs 7,000 and Rs 8,000. However, it later turned out that the bills provided by Jena were counterfeit.

Tata Power has lodged a formal police complaint against Jena. The company is also conducting its own internal investigation.

The police are currently interrogating Jena and the investigation is ongoing.