In a major breakthrough, the Cyber Crime and Economic Offences Wing arrested six individuals from Balangir on Sunday for allegedly cheating a man out of Rs78 lakh by luring him into a fake stock market investment scheme.
The arrested have been identified as Bijaya Meher (28), Bishwambhar Kharsel (27), Rajesh Tandi (20), Anil Naik (21), Sritam Meher, and Dipak Dharua (24)—all residents of Balangir.
Speaking to the media, DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo said that the victim lodged a complaint on April 24. According to the complaint, he was contacted in February through a Telegram channel named ‘good_priya’, allegedly operated by a fake trading company called Spreadex Global Ltd.
The accused convinced the victim to invest money, assuring him of substantial financial returns from stock market trades. Initially, they returned a small portion of the money to gain his trust. However, once Rs78 lakh had been transferred in multiple phases from February to April, the payouts stopped.
Realizing he had been defrauded, the victim approached the police.
DCP Dnyandeo said, “The group operated with precision, using bank accounts and contact details from across India to circulate and collect the scammed money. Further investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest other members of the network.”
