Cuttack: A businessman from Cuttack city was cheated out of Rs 40 lakh by cyber fraudsters posing as senior officials of a private car manufacturing company, police said on Wednesday.
The victim, who had plans to open a car showroom in Sambalpur, filed a complaint at the Cuttack Cyber Police Station on Tuesday.
Acting on the complaint, the police have registered a case and initiated an investigation, informed Amarendra Panda, Additional DCP, Cuttack.
According to Panda, the businessman reached out to the company officials for guidance on setting up the showroom. He was instructed to upload the required documents on the company’s official website. However, the businessman unknowingly accessed a fake website and transferred Rs 40.20 lakh to two bank accounts.
The fraud came to light when the culprits demanded additional money but failed to follow through with a promised field visit. Realizing he had been duped, the victim approached the police.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the fraudulent bank accounts are based in New Delhi. The police are actively pursuing leads to identify and apprehend the culprits.