Bhubaneswar: The Cuttack Cyber Crime unit and Economic Offences Wing (EoW) have busted a major sextortion and financial fraud racket involving Rs 88 lakh, in which a 72-year-old retired state government employee was cheated and blackmailed, police said Tuesday.
Five accused have been arrested, while the prime suspect remains at large. According to police, the case was registered January 19 following a complaint by the senior citizen.
The main accused, Saroj Kumar Jena, along with his associates, initially contacted the victim via Facebook in January 2025 and gradually gained his trust through repeated meetings at hotels in Cuttack.
To gain the victim’s confidence, Saroj borrowed Rs 1.48 lakh in May 2025 for medical treatment and returned it within two months.
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Later, citing his daughter’s treatment, he again sought money. When the victim refused, the accused hatched a plan, luring him into a WhatsApp video call with a nude woman, secretly recording the call, and using it to blackmail the victim by threatening to circulate the video on social media.
Under continuous threats, the victim was forced to transfer money multiple times, totalling Rs 88 lakh, with some amounts sent via NEFT to accounts of Saroj’s associates.
Under the supervision of the Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, a special team led by ACP Satyajit Das conducted raids, arresting four accused from Jajpur district and one from Bhubaneswar.
Those arrested include Manoj Kumar Jena (27), Prafulla Kumar Biswal (65), Sangram Jena (22), Basudev Rout (25), and Manaranjan Routray (60).
Police seized Rs 14.04 lakh in cash, gold and silver ornaments, two vehicles, and froze over Rs 5 lakh in bank accounts.
Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the prime accused and recover the remaining funds