In a significant breakthrough, the Cyber Crime and Economic Offences Police Station of Angul Police arrested five individuals on Wednesday for allegedly duping a businessman of Rs 52 lakh through an online trading scam.
The accused have been identified as Bijay Kumar Jena, Dillip Kumar Lenka, and Chittaranjan Muduli from Soro in Balasore district, Krupasindhu Maharana of Bhadrak, and Md Nisar Alam from West Bengal.
The scam came to light after a businessman from Angul lodged a complaint stating he received a WhatsApp message promising high returns on investments through a trading platform. Trusting the claims, he transferred Rs 52 lakh, only to later discover he had been defrauded.
A special investigation team formed by Angul police traced the money, which had been moved through multiple bank accounts to avoid detection. Raids conducted across Odisha and other states led to the arrests of the five accused.
During the raids, police seized five smartphones, Rs 2.28 lakh in cash, numerous bank passbooks and chequebooks, a gold-colored Rolex watch, and a gold ring.
Angul SP Rahul Jain stated, “A dedicated team traced the money trail across multiple accounts. Our efforts to dismantle the network behind this fraud are ongoing.” He also warned the public against falling for fraudulent investment schemes, emphasizing caution when joining online platforms or social media groups that promise unrealistic returns.
