A cloth merchant here has been duped of sarees and 'gamchas' worth Rs 1.51 lakh by two men who posed as relatives of the Uttar Pradesh Social Welfare minister, police said on Tuesday.
Superintendent of Police Dev Ranjan Verma said the cloth merchant, Tarachand Jain, lodged a police complaint a couple of days ago.
In his complaint he stated that the accused, Ashok Kumar Baudh and Chandrika Chauhan, had visited his shop on February 24. They introduced themselves as relatives of UP Social Welfare Minister Ramapati Shastri and asked for sarees and 'gamchas', which they claimed were to be distributed among the poor, the SP said.
He said the duo got away with clothes worth Rs 1.51 lakh, promising that the state Social Welfare Department will pay for them.
When he did not receive the payment, the cloth merchant approached local officials only to learn that no such distribution programme was held.
The SP said Baudh was arrested on Monday night and efforts are on to nab the other accused.
'Gamcha' or traditional cloth towel is also being used as a face cover to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
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