Bhubaneswar, June 20 -- Police arrested 11 people for allegedly extorting and deceiving pilgrims visiting PuriSrimandir. The arrests were made over a span of the past five days, Puri SP Prateek Singh confirmed on Friday.

According to The Times Of India, the group was operating in an organised manner. They mostly operated near bus stands, railway stations, and along Bada Danda.

The accused targeted devotees mainly travelling from outside of Odisha. They reportedly demanded money ranging between Rs 200 and Rs 500 per devotee. In exchange, they falsely promised hassle-free, quick access to Srimandir by bypassing regular security checks and queues.

According to sources, some impostors even dressed as real servitors to deceive devotees. The...