Bhubaneswar: The Crime Branch of Odisha Police arrested a cyber-fraudster for cheating an IT professional of Rs 19.84 lakh in the name of investment.
The accused has been identified as Ashwani Pal, 41, a resident of Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Pal faces around 23 fraud charges. The police have seized his mobile phone, SIM card, Aadhar card, and PAN card.
According to the complaint, the IT professional received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number, +1(672)8881003, promising easy money for subscribing to a YouTube account.
The fraudster offered Rs 50 for the subscription and convinced the victim to join a Telegram group and share screenshots. Later, the fraudster persuaded the victim to invest in a scheme, refunding him Rs 12,600 and Rs 1,550 initially. The victim deposited Rs 19,84,000 in four different accounts in eight transactions, as instructed by the fraudster.
The fraudsters also asked the victim to open an account on http://viacom1.com to buy Bitcoin for trading. Despite depositing a huge amount, the fraudsters did not allow the victim to withdraw money and demanded a huge amount for income tax clearance.
The victim eventually realized he had been defrauded and filed a complaint with the Crime Branch, leading to Pal’s arrest.
