Rayagada: Three persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly trying to extort money from a trader by posing as Maoists in Odisha`s Naxal-hit Rayagada district, police said.
The accused, identified as Rajendera Rout, Sanjit Naik and Arun Bagh, had pasted a fake maoist poster at the house of a trader identified as Ram Murty Naik of D Karolo village in Kashipur block on August 30 and had demanded Rs 30 lakh from him.
The trio had asked Naik to bring the money to a forest road near Ghoda Tikri village on August 31. As the trader did not follow their instruction, the three telephoned Naik and threatened him of dire consequences, said Inspector In-Charge of Doragura police station, Ramesh Chandra Bisoi.
The mobile phone used by the trio was tracked and subsequently they were arrested, he said adding during interrogation it was found that the accused didn`t have any link with maoists and had identified themselves as rebels to make quick buck.
While Arun and Sanjit worked as drivers in a private company, Rajendra stays at Tikri," he said.
PTI
