Bhubaneswar: The Cyber Police Friday arrested a man for allegedly duping a City-based investor of Rs 11.62 lakh on false promises of attractive returns on investments through online trading.
The accused has been identified as Manoj Kumar Sahoo alias Mantu, 30, a native of Chitalpur in the Dhenkanal district. Earlier, three of his associates – Sidheswar Jena, Ashim Kumar Mishra, and Prafulla Kumar Bej –were arrested February 24 in connection with the case, said Cyber Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) Tereskova Mohaptra.
A mobile phone and a laptop, along with proofs of cryptocurrency transactions on Binance, were seized during the arrest, she said.
The IIC said Manoj used to collect the amount from investors and distribute the same among other members of the group. The accused men ran advertisements on Facebook, luring the victims to join their WhatsApp group “D53-AXIS Securities Group”.
Tereskova also said the complainant, too, was lured to join the group by a similar pattern. He was promised a 100 per cent return on his investment, along with assurances that the funds are managed in compliance with SEBI guidelines and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
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Trusting their claims, the victim transferred Rs 11.62 lakh into multiple bank accounts. However, he was removed immediately from the group. On enquiring, the fraudsters denied receiving any such transactions. Realising that he had been duped, the victim lodged an FIR January 27.
Manoj was booked under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of BNS and produced before a local court Friday.
PNN
