Odisha’s Ex-IT Minister Loses ₹1.4 Crore to Cyber Criminals: Cops
Seven Arrested, Including Four from Karnataka and Three from Tamil Nadu, in Connection with ₹1.4 Crore Cybercrime
Odisha’s Former IT Minister Swindled Out of ₹1.4 Crore by Cyber Criminals: Cops
Seven Arrested, Including Four from Karnataka and Three from Tamil Nadu, in Connection with ₹1.4 Crore Cybercrime
Bhubaneswar: A high-ranked police official confirmed on Monday that an Odisha legislator, as well as a former IT Minister, has been defrauded of ₹1.4 crore over about 1.5 months by cyber criminals.
The police nabbed a total of seven persons, four of whom are from Karnataka and three from Tamil Nadu, in relation to the fraud case.
Further Account of the Cyber Fraud
A former minister of Odisha, who had made a police complaint about the matter in January, said that a friend of his was using his trading account and lost the money through cyber fraud.
The police mentioned the criminals as well as their fellow fraudsters, who claimed to be trade analysts, and urged the victims to invest in the stocks of IPOs, shares, and other types of trading, with the high returns being the bait. Among the findings of the investigation, the cybercrime unit of the Crime Branch has identified that from November 13, 2024, to January 1, 2025, the cybercriminals have illegally obtained ₹1.4 crore from the complainant.
Investigation and Arrests
On January 13, 2025, the Crime Branch got to know about the fraud and the fact that the fraudsters had accessed ₹1.4 crore illegally via mobile apps. Sarthak Sarangi, the IG of Crime Branch, who was speaking at the media, preferred not to name the complainant, saying that it would interfere with the investigation. According to the police sources, the complainant is a sitting MLA, a former IT Minister, and an IIT graduate.
Tusharkanti Behera, BJD MLA and an earlier IT Minister, stated, “My friend has been using my trading account and lost the money to cyber fraud. I have no direct knowledge regarding the fraud.” The police men further informed that they movers and shakers had banked the stolen money in accounts located in different states like Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, and Maharashtra.
Ongoing Efforts and Recoveries
After being dispatched to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, the Crime Branch teams succeeded in arresting seven suspects. According to the police officer, “We are checking Hyderabad, West Bengal, and Delhi next day to find the rest of the people that participated in the case.”
The Crime Branch has been able to recover ₹4 lakh from the accused and has frozen ₹15 lakh in their bank accounts. Sarangi went on to explain that cyber fraud has also been detected in some high-ranking personnel such as a university vice-chancellor and a Navy officer, which confirms the increasing concerns of cybercrimes in the region.
