Bhubaneswar, Sept 16: Odisha Police arrested three individuals on Monday for allegedly duping an investor of Rs 13.72 lakh through a fake online investment scheme.
The accused were identified as Abinash Ojha (35), Jagan Sahoo (24), and Pratik Chaurasia (21), all residents of Rourkela in Sundargarh district, according to police officials.
A senior police officer stated that the victim came across an attractive investment opportunity on social media in May. The fraudsters allegedly promised high returns and convinced the victim to transfer money. Trusting their claims, the complainant transferred a total of Rs 13.72 lakh between May 16 and 29. However, the victim soon realized that the scheme was fraudulent and filed a complaint at the Cuttack cyber police station.
During the investigation, police traced the accused to Rourkela and, with the help of local authorities, apprehended them. “Following all legal procedures, the three were brought to Cuttack on Monday for court production,” the officer added.
Police also seized six mobile phones, 10 passbooks, three Aadhaar cards, and three cheque books from the accused. Additionally, they froze 39 bank accounts with deposits totaling around Rs 2 lakh.
Earlier, on September 6, another suspect, Anurag Pattanaik (21), was arrested from Rourkela in connection with the case.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
