Keonjhar: Police on Wednesday arrested an impostor, who had impersonated a labour welfare officer to fleece labourers on the pretext of providing them identity cards, from Anandpur police limits.

The accused, Tarun Panda, 45, associated by an accomplice, had impressed upon a group of skilled labourers at Janjali village that he was on an official visit as the district labour welfare officer. The villagers mistook him to be a officer. He also explained them in details on the government-sponsored welfare and social security schemes for the skilled and unskilled labourers, the police said.

He told them that he was there to conduct survey of those covered under the labourer identity card scheme for coverage under the government's social security scheme. Later, he asked the villagers to pay Rs 500 as fee for issuance of cards. Villagers suspected Panda to be an impersonator as he refused to give them receipt against the money. After they informed local police, the cops rushed to the spot and arrested him. But, one of his associates managed to flee.

Panda is a resident of Mirjapur village of Jajpur district.