A man accused of posing as a member of the Border Security Force (BSF) and allegedly cheating local traders in and around Panisagar market under North Tripura district has been detained by local businessmen and handed over to the police on Monday.
Sources said that the accused had been frequenting Panisagar Bazaar (market) and nearby areas, including Chamtilla and Bilthai, for nearly two years while allegedly introducing himself as a BSF personnel. Traders claim that he deceived several business owners by borrowing money from shops and taking goods on various pretexts without making payments.
Local sources identified the accused as Uttam Chakma, a resident of Ujan Machmara in Unakoti district. Businessmen who claimed to have been defrauded had reportedly been searching for him for a long time.
The traders eventually caught him on Saturday and took him to Panisagar police station, where he was handed over to the police authorities.
A case has since been registered against the accused at Panisagar police station, and police have launched an investigation into the matter.
By the time, when police shifted him Panisagar sub divisional hospital for necessary medical test, accused Uttam Chakma managed to escape from the spot, which raised serious concern among the victim traders. They also raised questions over activeness of police personnel.
While, police sources said that claimed that they have initiated an investigation and launched an operation to trace accused man. Police are now examining whether the alleged fraud was part of a larger operation.