Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Crime Branch arrested six cybercriminals from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat in connection with an investment fraud case. This organised gang of cyber criminals were operating in the guise of online investment promising high returns.
The arrested persons are Arun Shaju alias Henry Johnson, Seenu R, Vasu J from Tamil Nadu and Jaimin Kukdeja Megharajbhai, Brijesh Dayabhai Sathiya, Udaya Rameshbhai from Gujarat.
Accused Arun Shaju and Jaimin Kukdeja opened bank accounts in their names and shared them with fraudsters to be used for fraudulent activities while accused Vasu, Seenu and Udaya acted as account collectors, responsible for obtaining more mule accounts to facilitate the smooth transfer of stolen money. Accused Brijesh withdrew cash through cheques and handed it over to hawala operators in Gujarat for further distribution.
On 28th February 2024, a resident of Bhubaneswar reported that as he had an interest in share market trading, he had searched for investment opportunities on social media. In January 2024, he joined two WhatsApp groups that advertised trading apps called “GSQT” and “IBGINON.” He was encouraged by the group admins to open accounts on these apps using specific web links.
On 23rd January 2024, he started depositing money into various accounts and initially saw lucrative profits within a few days. This success prompted him to invest more money, even taking personal loans and borrowing from friends and family. By 22nd February 2024, he had deposited a total of 71.95 lakhs into ten different bank accounts. However, the profits he saw were only shown in digital wallets. But the fraudsters demanded more money, threatening that he would lose his investments and profits if he did not transfer the same. After realizing that the trading was fraudulent, he lodged an FIR with the Crime Branch.
Accordingly, CID CB Cyber Crime Police Station FIR No.11/2024 dtd. 28.02.2024 u/s 419/420/465/467/468/471/120-B/34 IPC r/w Sec. 66C/66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000 was registered.
Multiple teams of the Cyber Crime Unit of the Crime Branch conducted raids in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat and apprehended the accused persons from Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. They have admitted to being involved in multiple cybercrime cases pan India, the details of which are yet to be verified, the Vigilance said.
During the investigation, mobile phones, sims, ATM/Debit Cards, Aadhar cards and other incriminating documents were seized from the accused persons.
The Cyber Crime Unit of CID, Crime Branch has advised citizens to exercise caution before investing hard-earned money, ensure the legitimacy of the business by checking relevant official websites and confirming the identity of anyone claiming to be associated with the business and offering high returns.
Crime Branch also appeals to citizens that if they encounter any suspicious online activities or become victims of any kind of cyber fraud or crime, they should immediately report such incidents promptly by dialling the Toll-Free 1930 Cyber Crime Help Line or logging on to www.cybercrime.gov.in and register their complaint without delay.
They can also report suspected fraud numbers in the CHAKSHU portal of the Department of Telecommunication https://sancharsaathi.gov.in/sfc/ or at the cybercrime reporting portal of i4C, MHA https://cybercrime.gov.in/Webform/cyber_suspect.aspx.
