Bhubaneswar: In a major cybercrime bust, the Cuttack Cyber Crime & Economic Offences Police on Tuesday arrested five persons for duping a 72-year-old retired government employee of Rs 88 lakh through a sextortion racket.
The accused have been identified as Manoj Kumar Jena (27), Prafulla Kumar Biswal (65), Sangram Jena (22) – residents of Pobala village under Dharmasala police station in Jajpur district – and Basudev Rout (25) and Manaranjan Routray (60), residents under Airfield police station in Bhubaneswar.
According to police, the accused, led by Saroj Kumar Jena, initially contacted the victim via social media in January 2025. Over several months, they gained his trust through repeated meetings at hotels in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, offering false assurances.
In May 2025, the victim transferred Rs 1.48 lakh to Saroj for alleged medical treatment. The money was repaid within two months, which further strengthened the victim’s confidence. Later, the accused demanded more funds under the pretext of a family emergency. When the victim refused, they resorted to blackmail.
The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissioner of Police, Dr. Suresh Dev Datta Singh stated the accused made a WhatsApp video call to the victim involving a ‘nude woman’ on the other end and secretly recorded it. They then repeatedly threatened to circulate the video on social media, forcing the victim to transfer large sums of money over time.
“Through these fraudulent and coercive tactics, the accused extorted a total of Rs 88 lakh from the victim,” said Dr. Singh.
A special investigation team, led by ACP Satyajit Das, conducted raids at multiple locations. Four accused were arrested from Jajpur district and one from Bhubaneswar. The team is still searching for the principal accused, Saroj Kumar Jena.
During the operation, police seized Rs 14,00,460 in cash, 16 silver coins, 2 vehicles, 2 pairs of gold earrings, a gold ring, a gold mangalsutra, a gold chain, and a silver armlet. Over Rs 5 lakh in bank accounts linked to the accused were also frozen. Other accounts are under investigation.
“Valuables worth around Rs 20 lakh were recovered,” the Commissioner added.
