In a major breakthrough, the Odisha CID Crime Branch has arrested Kamadev Rout and Bikram Kumar Jethi for allegedly orchestrating a Rs1.56 crore online investment scam that defrauded victims through deceptive gaming platforms.
The case emerged after Mamata Rout, a resident of Balisahi, Salipur in Cuttack, filed a complaint claiming she had been misled by fraudulent schemes on platforms like world.net, bounty game in, Ubitcoin staking, ride BNB, and HAHM. These platforms promised unusually high returns on investments between February 2024 and February 2025.
Mamata reported transferring Rs57.39 lakh to ten different bank accounts provided by the accused and handing over Rs98.60 lakh in cash across multiple occasions.
During the probe, authorities found that Rs14.77 lakh and Rs8.45 lakh had been transferred to the accounts of Kamadev Rout and Bikram Jethi, respectively. These funds were sent by Mamata and her associate, Kshirendra Kumar Sahoo.
The accused were arrested in Cuttack on July 16 and 17, 2025, following attempts to further extort money from the victim. Electronic devices, including mobile phones, were seized during the arrests.
Initial investigations show that the duo used the defrauded funds to invest in land, vehicles, and gold ornaments in Bhubaneswar and Jharkhand. They have been presented before the Designated Court under the OPID Act in Cuttack.
Officials stated that further investigations are underway to trace the full extent of the scam and recover the stolen investments.
