Bolangir: In a significant breakthrough, Bolangir police have cracked down on a major online trading racket, arresting four fraudsters from Rajasthan. The scam, operating from the border regions of Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan, has been frozen with Rs 85 lakh in fraudulent bank accounts.
The arrested accused, Vikas Parikh and Vilan Singh from Churu district, Harshit Chauhan from Sri Ganga Nagar district, and Vijay Ray Sharma from Shikar district, were investing the illicit funds in cryptocurrencies and living luxuriously, Bolangir SP Rishikesh D Khilari said.
Khilari said at a press conference that further arrests will be made, including IT professionals involved in creating the mobile app. Action will be taken on complaints lodged through the Help Line Number ‘1930’, he added.
The investigation began after a Balangir resident reported losing Rs 75 lakh to cyber fraud. The complainant was lured into online trading through WhatsApp and Telegram links, promising huge profits. After initially receiving returns, the victim invested Rs 75 lakh, which was diverted to the fraudsters’ account.
Preliminary findings suggest the scam was run by highly educated individuals, including a Chartered Accountant, who created a mobile app to target victims. With local police assistance, Bolangir police arrested the four suspects from Rajasthan. Further investigations are ongoing.
