The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Odisha has successfully busted an inter-state cyber fraud gang involved in a ‘digital arrest’ scam. The arrested individual, Abdul Saleem (33), a resident of Nizamabad, Telangana, was found to be the mastermind behind the scam that defrauded a 66-year-old retired doctor, Dr. Ashok Kumar Behera, of Rs 1 crore.
The incident unfolded when Dr. Behera, a retired physician from MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur, Odisha, received calls from fraudsters posing as officers from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Mumbai Cyber Crime Division. The scammers alleged that his mobile number, linked to his Aadhaar card, had been used for illegal activities such as procuring arms, drugs, and making threatening calls in Maharashtra.
To further intimidate the elderly doctor, the scammers subjected him to a video call, claiming that he would be punished with a minimum sentence of 3 to 7 years in prison unless he transferred all his money for “verification”. Under immense mental pressure, Dr. Behera, believing the threats, transferred his savings—totaling Rs 1 crore—in two separate transactions to the fraudster’s account.
The CID swung into action after receiving the complaint from Dr. Behera. Following an in-depth investigation, including analysis of the transaction details and other digital evidence, the CID team located and arrested Abdul Saleem in Nizamabad, Telangana. Saleem was found to be using multiple SIM cards, a Saudi SIM card, and other incriminating documents like an Aadhaar card, PAN card, debit cards, and a passport.
During further investigation, the CID revealed that Saleem had visited Saudi Arabia twice—in 2017 and 2024—and had been involved in several other cyber frauds across the country. A verification through the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) confirmed that the account used in the fraud had been linked to over 13 cyber incidents nationwide.