Berhampur: Kandhamal police on Saturday arrested a 30-year-old man for allegedly posing as a motor vehicle inspector (MVI), cheating people of lakhs of rupees and exploiting women on the false promise of marriage. The accused, Dharmendra Kumar Behera alias Nikhil Kumar Patnaik of Chakapada in Kandhamal district, was arrested following a complaint lodged by a woman at Sarangada police station on Thursday.SP (Kandhamal) Ramendra Prasad said the complainant alleged that Behera had duped her of Rs 7.18 lakh after promising to marry her and claiming he could arrange a regular govt job for her through his influence with senior officials. Trusting him, she transferred the money in multiple online transactions between June 2025 and Jan 2026. When she sought the money back, the accused allegedly stopped responding and switched off his phone. Police said Behera was found wearing an Odisha Motor Vehicles department uniform and using a vehicle fitted with an orange beacon.During the raid, police seized an OMVD uniform bearing the nameplate “Nikhil Kumar Patnaik”, a police raincoat, two cars, two nameplates, a mobile phone, bank passbook, Aadhaar card, educational certificates and photographs of the accused in uniform. Investigators found that Behera had allegedly been impersonating an MVI officer, carrying out unauthorised vehicle checks in Kandhamal and Ganjam districts and frequently visiting govt offices to bolster his credentials.Police said the accused confessed to cheating the complainant and several others. Preliminary investigation revealed that he had allegedly sent marriage proposals to multiple women and exploited some of them financially and sexually by falsely promising marriage. Further investigation is underway to identify other victims who may have been duped by the accused, police said.