Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s crime branch has arrested a woman from West Bengal for her alleged involvement in a Rs 75.10 lakh investment fraud case, an official said.
Police identified the arrested accused as Anushka Mitra (24), a resident of Durgapur in Bardhaman district.
The accused has been brought to Odisha on a transit remand and was produced before a local court here June 7. She is currently in judicial custody, a crime branch officer said.
Mitra, along with her associates, posed as trade analysts and duped Rs 74.10 lakh from a resident of Balasore district through an elaborate investment scam, the officer said.
The accused allegedly lured the complainant with promises of high returns through investments in international metal trading, Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), and Over-the-Counter (OTC) trading. Despite suffering losses, the victim continued investing under their influence, officials said.
When he tried to withdraw his funds, the fraudsters demanded additional money. Realising it was a scam, the victim filed an FIR, following which she was arrested, police said.
In a separate development, five persons from Gujarat have been arrested over the past few days by the crime branch in connection with three separate cyber fraud cases.
According to an official statement, two persons from Gujarat were arrested for their alleged role in a Rs 1.4 crore online trading scam.
In another case, two more persons from Gujarat were held for allegedly duping a Bhubaneswar resident of Rs 1.06 crore by placing him under what investigators termed a ‘digital arrest’.
Impersonating themselves as officials of Mumbai crime branch and a courier service, the cyber fraudsters threatened arrest and media exposure and forced him to transfer the money to their bank accounts, the crime branch said.
In a third case, a 22-year-old man from Gujarat was arrested for allegedly cheating Rs 50 lakh from a man in Chhatrapur, Ganjam district, on the pretext of providing high returns from stock market investments, officials added.
PTI
