Keonjhar, July 8: In a major breakthrough, Barbil Police in Odisha's Keonjhar district have busted an organised robbery and cyber fraud racket operating in the mining belt, arresting six persons, including a woman allegedly linked to Jharkhand's infamous Jamtara cyber fraud network.

The action followed an investigation into a robbery reported on June 4, when truck driver Rampoojan Tanti, employed by Priyatosh Roy, was allegedly attacked by armed miscreants near Raida Chhak. The assailants robbed him of his mobile phone and cash before using the stolen device to siphon off nearly Rs 1.86 lakh from his bank account through online payment applications.

Based on a written complaint lodged at Barbil Police Station on July 6, investigators uncovered the activities of a gang comprising around nine to ten members from the Barbil and Joda areas. The group had allegedly been involved in theft, snatching and robbery for a considerable period, primarily targeting truck drivers.

Police said the gang sold stolen mobile phones to Chandrabati Patra of the Thakurani area for Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 each. Chandrabati allegedly had links with the notorious Jamtara cyber fraud network and used digital payment platforms such as PhonePe and Google Pay installed on the stolen phones to transfer money from victims' bank accounts to other accounts. She reportedly earned a commission of 20 to 30 per cent from each fraudulent transaction.

During a raid on her residence, police seized 12 mobile phones, 26 bank passbooks and 28 SIM cards.

In a separate operation conducted early Wednesday, police apprehended five accused while they were allegedly planning another robbery in the Joda area. They were found carrying deadly weapons, and their interrogation subsequently led to Chandrabati's arrest.

The arrested accused have been identified as Haladhar Nayak, Rounak Patra, Manas Tanti, Arbaaz Khan, Chandrabati Patra, all residents of Thakurani in Barbil, and Suraj Pal Choudhury of Bhanj Colony, Barbil.

Police also recovered three swords, a knife, five masks and Rs 3,300 in cash from the accused.

Barbil SDPO Debendranath Pingua said further investigation is underway and efforts are on to trace and arrest other members of the gang.