Who Are the Six Arrested for Duping an LIC Officer of ₹78 Lakh?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Six individuals have been arrested for duping an LIC officer.
- The accused promised high returns on stock market investments.
- The victim transferred a total of ₹78 lakh to various accounts.
- The police utilized data analysis to identify the suspects.
- Fraudsters exploited online platforms to lure victims.
Bhubaneswar, May 4 (NationPress) The Commissionerate Police in Bhubaneswar has apprehended six individuals involved in a cybercrime operation from Odisha’s Balangir district. These suspects allegedly deceived an LIC officer, swindling him out of ₹78 lakh by enticing him with promises of substantial returns on investments in the share market.
The suspects have been identified as Bijaya Kumar Meher (28) and Bishwambhar Kharsel (27) from Belpada; along with Rajesh Tandi (20), Anil Naik (21), Sritam Meher (19), and Dipak Dharua (24) from the Patnagarh area of Balangir.
On April 24, the victim filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime and Economic Offence Police Station in Cuttack. He reported that he had connected with a trading firm named Spreadex Global Ltd through a Telegram ID: @good_priya, managed by someone identifying herself as Priya Bajaj in February.
The alleged perpetrator persuaded the LIC officer to invest in the stock market, guaranteeing high returns. Consequently, the victim transferred ₹12 lakh from his Kotak Mahindra Bank account to a DBS Bank account. Over the course of February to April, the victim ended up depositing a total of ₹78 lakh into various bank accounts specified by the fraudsters.
“Following an analysis of data from banks and telecom authorities, the police commenced a technical investigation to pinpoint the individuals behind the cybercrime. Although the fraudsters utilized VPN-based WhatsApp and Telegram numbers with IP addresses traced to foreign regions, the investigative team effectively retrieved login information and gathered ATM/Cash withdrawal footage from the banks,” police sources reported.
The police also succeeded in identifying mobile numbers associated with the fraudulent accounts, which led to the capture of the suspects in Balangir district.
Furthermore, the Commissionerate Police disclosed that the fraud group amassed bank accounts and phone numbers from individuals all over India. They exploited this information to channel and collect the embezzled funds. By creating fake Telegram profiles, they lured potential victims into fraudulent investment groups, urging them to invest in USDT (Tether cryptocurrency) with promises of lucrative returns.