Bhawanipatna, Oct 16: In a dramatic turn of events, a 24-year-old man was arrested in Odisha’s Kalahandi district for posing as a fake Maoist and trying to extort Rs 35 lakh from his own father.

The accused has been identified as Ankush Agarwal, son of Dinesh Agarwal - a well-known contractor in Rupra Road area within Narla police limits in the district.

According to reports, Ankush hatched a plan to extort money from his influential father by impersonating a Maoist. On October 6, he slipped a threatening letter—posed as a Naxalite communiqué—into his father’s car demanding Rs 35 lakh and warning that the entire family would be killed if the money was not paid.

To increase pressure and make the plan more convincing, Ankush also sent a similar threat to his father's business partner. Upon receiving the letter, the family promptly reported the matter to the police.

During the investigation, officers were shocked to discover that the threat was a hoax orchestrated by the complainant’s own son. He was nabbed over a week after his father filed a formal police complaint.

Police said that the letter lacked authenticity, with all the names of Maoist cadres misspelled and the writing style appearing immature—key clues that helped crack the case.

"The letter was written in Hindi, and its haphazard content included personal references to the family, suggesting the involvement of someone very close to them. We received a tip-off from a person to whom the accused had confessed his plan," a senior official told reporters.

He added, "The accused had completed a computer course but was unemployed. He was arrested after he confessed to the crime during interrogation."

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