In a major crackdown under the Centre’s ‘Cyber Kavach’ initiative, the Bhubaneswar Commissionerate Police dismantled two organised cyber fraud syndicates operating in the city, arresting seven individuals and seizing luxury vehicles, electronics, and critical banking documents.
First Syndicate: Mule Bank Account Racket
The Laxmisagar Police Station team arrested four members of a gang running a mule bank account scam for over two years. The accused include:
Mayank Kumar – Jharkhand resident
Ranjan Kumar Sahu (27) – Ranpur, Nayagarh, residing at Satyanagar
Nishikant Kar alias Bunu (28) – Gopa, Puri, residing at Santoshi Vihar
Mohammad Sadiq Raja Khan (28) – Yadupur-Dumduma, Khandagiri
Police seized a black Mercedes-Benz, a Renault Triber, six mobile phones, 37 bank debit cards, 16 cheque books, an Apple MacBook Air, an iPad, Rs 8,500 cash, and other incriminating documents.
The gang reportedly lured victims with promises of easy money, created bank accounts using fake SIMs and forged KYC documents, and routed funds obtained from cyber fraud through these “mule accounts.”
Second Syndicate: Crypto Fraud
In a separate operation, Cyber Police Station apprehended three men allegedly laundering money via crypto transactions on the controversial platform Binance, suspected to have links with Chinese operators. The accused are:
Sumit Kumar Padhi (26) – Bhimapura, Airport PS, residing in Padmabati Vihar
Ajit Kumar Pradhan (26) – Chandagiri, Mohana, residing in ST & SC Dev Office Quarters
Rajesh Kumar Nayak (26) – Forest Park, Airport PS
Police recovered seven mobile phones, four bank passbooks, 10 cheque books, 21 debit cards, 11 SIM cards, and personal documents including Aadhaar, PAN, and RC books. Sumit Kumar Padhi was identified as the main accused, previously involved in multiple cases across Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, and remained in contact with individuals in the Middle East.
Commissioner of Police S. Devdutt Singh hailed the raids as significant steps to safeguard citizens’ finances from cybercriminals. Investigations are ongoing, with further raids planned to dismantle the broader network.
