By IANS,
New Delhi: Two men, including an insurance agent and a businessman, were arrested here for duping an astrologer of Rs.7 lakh on the pretext of getting him appointed to a post in the Himachal Pradesh unit of the Congress party, police said Tuesday.
Vikrant Poddar, 29, an insurance agent, and his friend Parmod Kumar Jain, 50, were arrested for duping astrologer Hari Dev Diwedi.
Poddar was arrested in the last few days from south Delhi’s Munirka while Jain was taken into custody from east Delhi’s Shahdara area, police said. The two knew the victim since 2006.
The victim, a resident of south Delhi’s Shahpur Jat village, was duped by Poddar ahead of the Nov 4, 2012 voting in the Himachal Pradesh assembly election, police said.
“Poddar met the victim with Jain and persuaded him to pay Rs.7 lakh to get appointed as a prominent leader in the Himachal Pardesh Congress party,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Ravindra Yadav.
“The accused also promised the victim that he would get a position of a senior Congress party worker while selection of candidates for the November 2012 Himachal Pradesh assembly polls,” said the officer.
“The accused also provided a joining letter to the victim, but it was later found to be fake,” the officer added.