Cyber Fraud Uncovered: 12 Arrested in Rs 38.88 Lakh Scam in Barbil

Major Cyber Fraud Case in Barbil

Barbil: Authorities in Keonjhar district have apprehended 12 individuals linked to a cyber fraud scheme that defrauded a local businessman of Rs 38.88 lakh. The suspects were presented in Barbil court on Saturday.

The arrested individuals include Amal Kumar Nayak from Khajurikhaman village in Deogarh district, Abinash Nayak from Talcher Thermal area in Angul district, Amit Gochhayat from Balanda village, Subhendu Behera from Jagannathpur village, Vivekananda Yadav from Nehru Nagar in Bolangir, Akash Bag from Ganrei village, Jamil Akhtar and Sheikh Mustakin from Chadak Mohalla in Bhadrak, Sheikh Saif Kadri from Puruna Bazar in Bhadrak, Punit Kumar from Khawad village in Amroha district, MD Anwar from F-64 area in east Delhi, and Sadre Alam from Pali village in Bihar.

Reports indicate that Pradeep Kumar Dubey, a businessman residing in Sundarabasti, received a WhatsApp message in October 2024, inviting him to engage in online trading with a company called ‘Jep Morjen’.

After registering via the link, Pradeep transferred a total of Rs 38.88 lakh in multiple installments starting from November 6, 2024, to the bank account specified by the company.

However, when he attempted to withdraw his funds in December 2024, he was prompted to deposit an additional 30% of the total amount, which raised his suspicions.

Upon further investigation, Pradeep realized that the company was a scam and promptly reported the matter to the cyber police in Keonjhar.

Following his complaint, the Keonjhar Cyber Crime and Economic Offence Police initiated a case (31/2024) on December 5, 2024, and launched an investigation.