Bhubaneswar house rental scam: Mother-Son duo arrested for cheating 70 students of Rs 5 lakh

Around 70 students have allegedly been cheated of nearly Rs 5 lakh in a house rental scam in Bhubaneswar, where a mother-son duo reportedly used online rental listings to lure people looking for accommodation. The accused allegedly targeted students from Odisha and other states, collected advance payments and kept postponing the promised date of handing over the houses.The alleged fraud was being operated from the Paikanagar area. Nayapalli police arrested the mother and her son and forwarded them to court on Tuesday.Students who responded to rental advertisements on websites such as OLX said they were asked to pay advance amounts after being shown the property or discussing the rental terms. However, even after receiving the money, the accused allegedly failed to provide the accommodation or refund the payments.Promises Of House Handover, Repeated Excuse.A student from Paradip, who is pursuing MCA in Bhubaneswar, said he came across an advertisement on OLX on September 29. After contacting the people behind the listing, he visited the property on October 1 and paid Rs 8,000.“On October 3, their son called me and said that his father wanted the full payment before handing over the house on October 6. He kept saying that painting and repair work was still going on. I paid another Rs 18,000 on October 11, but they continued making excuses and asking me to come on another day,” the student said.Another victim said the accused stopped responding when asked to return the money. “They are not refunding the amount and are not even answering calls. I first lodged a complaint at Khandagiri police station and have now come to Nayapalli police station,” the victim said.A student who paid Rs 16,000 said, “They took the money a month ago but have still not returned it. I told them that I was staying at a hotel and urgently needed a house, but they did not respond.”Parents Also Allegedly Pressured To Pay.Another student said she and her parents had visited the property before making the payment. She claimed that she paid Rs 17,000, while his father later gave the accused another Rs 9,000 as advance.“In total, I paid Rs 26,000. They emotionally manipulated my father and asked him to pay Rs 20,000, saying the amount would be adjusted against the rent,” he said.