In a significant breakthrough, the Odisha Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Crime Branch, arrested 45-year-old Lokanath Nag on July 18, 2025, for orchestrating a Rs. 1.56 crore online gaming scam.
The arrest, made at a hotel in Cuttack, marks a pivotal moment in the investigation of a sophisticated fraud involving platforms like www.damanworld.net, Bounty Game, Ubitcoin Staking Opportunity, Ride BNB, and HAHM.
The case, registered on July 7, 2025, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, the Odisha Protection of Interests of Depositors (OPID) Act 2011, and the Prize Chits & Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act 1978, centres on Nag’s alleged deception of victims through promises of high returns.
According to the CID, Nag lured a victim in 2023 through a networking business, convincing them to invest Rs. 8,60,390 with assurances of quick profits within two months. Investigations revealed that Nag used the illicit proceeds to purchase a 2 BHK house in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, where he had relocated from Sonari, East Singhbhum.
During interrogation, Nag admitted to targeting victims via online gaming apps, exploiting their trust to siphon off substantial sums. The CID is now probing additional financial transactions and working to identify other accomplices involved in the scam. Nag was presented before the Presiding Officer of the Designated Court under the OPID Act in Cuttack on July 18, 2025, with further investigations underway to uncover the full extent of the network.
