Odisha Crime Branch arrested three cybercriminals for defrauding a Bhubaneswar resident of Rs 1.38 crore through a digital arrest scam.
The accused manipulated the victim by impersonating Mumbai Cyber Crime officials and threatening legal action under a fake money-laundering case.
The fraudsters created panic by claiming the victim’s involvement in illegal transactions and warned of arrest and imprisonment. Under psychological pressure, the victim transferred Rs 1.38 crore to accounts controlled by the gang.
A Crime Branch team traced the network to Delhi and Uttarakhand. Officers first arrested Shubham Sharma, alias Sanjay Rana, from Delhi. His interrogation led to the arrest of Amit Kumar and Yaseen Shah from Dehradun. Investigators discovered that the trio operated as part of a larger cyber fraud syndicate based in Delhi.
Earlier, police had arrested a mother-son duo from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, linked to the same racket. The Crime Branch continues to probe the financial trail and digital evidence to identify other members of the network.
Officials confirmed that the arrests mark a major breakthrough in tackling digital extortion crimes that exploit fear and misinformation.
