Puri: With lakhs of devotees thronging Puri for Rath Yatra, the Odisha Police Cyber Safety and Response Team has launched an extensive awareness campaign to curb online frauds targeting pilgrims and tourists.
As part of the drive, the team has visited 7 prominent hotels in Puri and sensitized their management about fake hotel booking scams that peak during the festival. The official websites of these hotels were also assessed and advisories were issued to patch vulnerabilities.
Police personnel have so far interacted with more than 1,460 tourists and pilgrims in the pilgrim town. Cyber safety pamphlets were distributed and devotees were educated about emerging online frauds.
In a major action, 8 fake hotel booking websites were taken down today. Also, the team also registered 10 mobile phone missing complaints on the CEIR portal to help trace lost devices.
The Odisha Police urged people to cooperate with police to ensure a safe, secure, and cyber-aware Rath Yatra–2026.
