Bhubaneswar: Crime Branch of Odisha Police has arrested a 31-year-old cybercriminal from Bihar for his alleged involvement in an Rs 2.06 crore investment fraud case, informed a senior police official Friday.
The accused was identified as Prins Raj of Ratanapur in Begusarai district of Bihar. The accused fraudster was arrested in connection with a case registered at the Crime Branch Cyber Police Station March 28, 2025, based on a complaint lodged by a Bhubaneswar-based businessman.
The victim businessman revealed in his complaint that unidentified cyber fraudsters contacted him on the popular social media platform WhatsApp December 23, 2024.
Subsequently, the complainant was allegedly auto-joined in a WhatsApp group. He further informed that a person impersonated a fund manager of a reputed company, offered his help and persuaded the businessman to invest money in the share market through a fake trading platform.
The group provided free stock market advice and daily technical analysis of NIFTY.
The Crime Branch sources revealed that, between December 23, 2024 and March 24, 2025, the businessman had transferred a total Rs 2, 06, 07,500 from three different bank accounts to five different accounts linked to the cybercriminals in 54 transactions.
“When he wanted to withdraw money the risk control team refused to release his funds with one pretext or another. Then he realised that he had been a victim of a well-planned conspiracy by unknown cyber fraudsters. So he lodged an FIR at Cyber Crime Police Station,” added the senior official.
Acting on the complaint, the police launched an investigation and arrested the accused Raj from Begusarai in Bihar on Wednesday night. The accused, Raj, received Rs 40 lakh out of the total defrauded amount of Rs 2.06 crore.
The accused is being brought to Odisha on transit remand and will be produced before the Court of the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), Bhubaneswar, after his arrival.
In another case of cyber fraud, the Crime Branch has arrested a couple, Himansu Prasad Karna and his wife Sailendri Karna, from Rajkishorepada in Angul district of the state, in connection with an investment fraud case involving Rs 1.55 crore.
As per the complaint, unknown cyber fraudsters initially contacted the victim through social media and later added him to a WhatsApp Group named ‘Stock Market Pioneers’, ‘VIP IVI Service Team570’. They subsequently induced the victim to invest in a fictitious online trading platform promising high and assured returns by sending a link.
Believing the false assurances, the victim transferred a total amount of Rs 1, 55, 66,000 from his bank account to seven different accounts in multiple transactions as instructed by the fraudsters.
IANS
