The Bhubaneswar Commissionerate Police have successfully busted a cyber fraud racket involving a group of five individuals, accused of duping a victim of over Rs36 lakh. The arrested individuals include Shaik Tajuddin (38) and Muchumari Chitti Babu (34) from Andhra Pradesh, Denzo alias Laleng Zauva Kaipeng (28) and Jiten Kaipeng (21) from Tripura, and James alias Elvish Tara (36) from Guwahati, Assam.
The arrests were made following an investigation into a cyber fraud complaint filed on May 7 by a victim who reported being tricked by scammers posing as Mumbai Crime Branch officials. The fraudsters contacted the victim, claiming that his Aadhaar card had been used to open illegal bank accounts, and he was allegedly involved in a crime involving an international parcel.
The victim was coerced into transferring Rs36.34 lakh from his ICICI Bank account after being monitored via a Skype call, where the fraudsters falsely threatened him with a digital arrest unless he complied. The scammers also pretended to be FedEx representatives, informing the victim of a bogus legal issue related to his Aadhaar and bank details.
Upon realizing that he had been duped, the victim filed a complaint with the Online Cybercrime Portal, prompting a thorough investigation by the police. The police have since seized crucial evidence, including over 80 bank accounts, 60+ ATM cards, 30 SIM cards, 23 mobile phones, 2 laptops, and even a car linked to the fraud scheme.
Further investigations revealed that the accused were operating across multiple states, using fake identities to facilitate illegal transactions and running fraudulent online schemes under the guise of legal online gaming platforms. The gang exploited innocent people’s bank accounts to launder money, all without the account holders’ knowledge.
The five accused have been arrested and charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for cheating, identity theft, and conspiracy, along with provisions of the IT Act for electronic fraud. Police have also seized digital evidence to further probe their extensive network.