May 9th 2024.
Bhubaneswar, the capital city of the state, has been in the news recently for a major cybercrime bust. On Wednesday, the Cyber Crime Unit of the state's Crime Branch made a significant breakthrough by arresting three directors of two fintech companies. The directors, identified as Sumit Kumar Das, Amiya Ranjan Satpathy, and Sidharth Satpathy, were charged with duping a man of Rs 54.75 lakh last year. It is reported that the victim was promised high returns by the companies, but instead fell prey to their fraudulent tactics.
According to sources from the Crime Branch, the three accused individuals were masquerading as directors of two fintech companies, namely PayInc and Fynpe. The victim, who had become a victim of the cyber fraud on May 5, 2023, had received a WhatsApp call from a woman hired by the companies. She had enticed him with the idea of subscribing to a YouTube channel in order to earn money. The victim then began receiving messages regularly, tempting him to invest money for high returns. Believing that he was making smart investments, he ended up depositing over Rs 54.75 lakh between May 6 and May 23 last year. However, when the fraudsters demanded more money without providing any returns, the victim became suspicious and reported the matter to the Cyber Crime Unit of the CB.
Upon receiving the complaint, the cyber police launched an investigation and registered a case against the perpetrators under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. The victim's complaint led the cyber police to uncover that 26 other complaints had been lodged against the registered bank account of Fynpe and 18 against the registered bank account of PayInc on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs. This discovery served as a warning to citizens to be cautious when engaging in online investment activities and to verify the authenticity of any financial service providers.
The CB has also appealed to citizens to immediately report any suspicious online activities or incidents of cyber fraud or crime by contacting 1930 or logging on to www.cybercrime.gov.in. It is crucial for individuals to take necessary precautions and stay vigilant while conducting any financial transactions online. The CB assures that they are committed to tackling such cybercrimes and urges citizens to come forward and report any such incidents without delay.
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