Bhubaneswar's Cyber Police Crack Down on Multi-Crore Fraud Cases

Nearly 2,400 cyber fraud cases amounting to Rs 36 crore have been reported in Bhubaneswar over the past six months. Police have made significant arrests and frozen substantial sums of fraudulent funds. A range of scams including UPI and social media were involved, with some linked to international fraudsters.

Nearly 2,400 cyber fraud complaints involving Rs 36 crore have been reported at the dedicated cyber police station in Bhubaneswar over the past six months, a senior officer disclosed on Thursday.

Addressing the media, Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Police Commissioner Sanjeeb Panda revealed that from January to June, 2,394 cyber fraud cases were logged, and 150 FIRs registered at the cyber police station, involving frauds amounting to Rs 36 crore.

Panda noted that victims from Bhubaneswar and other parts of the state filed complaints at the station. He mentioned that police have so far frozen approximately Rs 9.50 crore in fraudulent funds and returned Rs 46 lakh to victims.

Panda also stated that 21 cyber fraudsters have been apprehended, and two inter-state cyber fraud rackets were dismantled with members arrested from Bengaluru, Guwahati, and Rajasthan.

The most common cases involved UPI fraud, social media scams, parcel delivery scams, credit card delivery frauds, and fake KYC messages, Panda noted. He added that some frauds had links to international fraudsters.

On Wednesday, the Odisha crime branch arrested 15 cybercriminals, including two masterminds, for their alleged involvement in a series of cases related to cryptocurrency, stock, and IPO investment frauds.