A major cyber fraud case came to light in Bhubaneswar’s Old Town area when a woman fell victim to a “digital arrest” scam, losing Rs 30 lakh.
Fraudsters impersonated TRAI officials and later claimed to be Mumbai Colaba Police officers. They contacted the victim via phone and WhatsApp video calls, showing fake arrest warrants and threatening her with immediate arrest in an Enforcement Directorate case. The scammers instructed her to stay on video call constantly, avoid outside contact, and transfer money for a supposed audit.
Out of fear, the victim and her husband visited the SBI Lewis Road Branch and transferred ₹30 lakh into multiple accounts supplied by the fraudsters. Narasingha Prasad Bohidar later reported the case to the Cyber Crime and Economic Offences Police.
Investigators traced the accused to Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, and arrested Gulipagi Chiranjeevi, who allegedly masterminded the scam. Police seized two mobile phones, an ATM card, a chequebook, a PAN card, and an Aadhaar card during the operation. The accused was produced in court, and the probe is ongoing.
