Fraudster held in Rs 50 lakh cheating case

Bhubaneswar: Cyberpolice on Sunday arrested a man from West Bengal for his alleged involvement in an online cheating case worth around Rs 50 lakh, a police officer said. The arrested accused has been identified as Arabinda Paul (46), a resident of Hooghly district, police said.

According to police, the complainant came across an online investment platform promising high returns. The accused and his associates allegedly instructed the victim to transfer money to bank accounts of various named companies for investment, which were non-existent.

The complainant deposited a total of Rs 50.16 lakh in different accounts and did not get any returns, following which he lodged a complaint at the cyber police station in Bhubaneswar. “The money had been transferred to six different bank accounts in different States including West Bengal, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. More than Rs 1 lakh was sent to the bank account of the arrested accused,” ACP Suchismita Das, in-charge of cyber police station, said.

A total of 17 cases are pending against the arrested fraudster in different police stations, she said. Odisha police has intensified crackdowns on inter-state cyber criminals from West Bengal. In May last year, two Bengal residents were held for a Rs 6 crore investment scam promising high returns on IPOs.