Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police have busted a cyber fraud racket and arrested three fraudsters, including two from Gujarat and one from Bhubaneswar.
According to police, a cyber gang from Gujarat “digitally arrested” an Odisha resident by video call, falsely claiming that ganja had been found in a courier linked to him. The fraudsters coerced the victim into taking a loan and transferred ₹6.94 lakh to their accounts. Following a complaint at the Cyber Police Station, police managed to recover ₹2 lakh.
Among those arrested is 27-year-old Vishal Ramesh from Gujarat, who despite failing Class 8, had become adept at cyber scams.
Another accused, Milan Chauhan, a Class 10 dropout from Gujarat, ran a fake company through Just Dial and cheated people, including a Bhubaneswar businessman of ₹14 lakh. Police said Chauhan was arrested after earlier detaining three other members of the gang.
In a related crackdown, police also arrested Sarveshwar Patra, a Bhubaneswar businessman, for selling pre-activated SIM cards. During a raid on his outlet, Shubham Communication in Kalinga Vihar, several such SIM cards were seized.
Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena said the arrests highlight the growing nexus between cyber fraudsters and illegal SIM suppliers, and more raids are likely.
