The Cyber Crime unit of the Crime Branch arrested seven individuals on Monday in connection with multiple fraud cases, including a fake website targeting religious pilgrims and high-value investment frauds.
Special DG Vinaytosh Mishra revealed that two of the accused, Anshuman Sharma (24) and Aravinda Kumar (35), both from Uttar Pradesh, were arrested for allegedly deceiving pilgrims via a fraudulent website — www.neeladribhaktanivas — claiming to offer accommodation at Neeladri Bhakta Nivas in Puri.
The fraud came to light following a complaint lodged on March 10 by Arabinda Padhee, Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration. The accused reportedly collected online payments from unsuspecting pilgrims under the pretense of booking lodging.
Police seized a laptop, mobile phones, a SIM card used for registration, and various ID and hosting documents linked to the fake site from the duo.
In separate operations, five more individuals were arrested for orchestrating investment scams:
Hiteshbhai Patra (39) from Surat, originally from Balasore, was held in a Rs1.28 crore investment scam. Authorities seized Rs27 lakh from his bank account along with multiple cheque books, cards, fake company stamps, and ID documents.
Parth Parmar (25) of Ahmedabad was arrested in a Rs7.5 crore fraud. Rs25 lakh had been deposited in his account directly.
Thakkar Karsanji Sobhaji (48) and Kureshi Mohammed Aslam (31) from Gujarat were implicated in a Rs87.80 lakh scam, with authorities recovering over Rs15 lakh from their accounts.
Akash Kesharwani (33) from UP, identified as a second-layer account holder in a Rs1.4 crore scam, had Rs3.7 lakh transferred to his account.
The Crime Branch continues its investigation into these complex cyber fraud networks.