Bhubaneswar, June 9 (IANS) The Crime Branch of Odisha Police has apprehended two accused from Delhi and Uttarakhand for their alleged involvement in a Rs 1.38-crore “digital arrest” cyber fraud case targeting a Bhubaneswar-based victim, said a senior Crime Branch official on Tuesday.

The case was registered following a complaint filed by a Bhubaneswar resident who was duped by fraudsters posing as Mumbai Cyber Crime officials. The accused allegedly informed the victim that his Aadhaar number had been linked to a money laundering case and threatened him with arrest and imprisonment.

Fearing legal action, the victim transferred Rs 1.38 crore to multiple bank accounts provided by the fraudsters. “During the course of investigation, a detailed analysis of bank transactions, account-opening documents, mobile records and money trail established the involvement of a Delhi-based cyber fraud network,” the official added.

Investigators found that Rs 13.50 lakh from the defrauded amount had been credited to an HDFC Bank account operated under the name “Rana Garments.” Acting on the lead, a special team travelled to New Delhi and arrested Subham Sharma alias Sanjay Rana (29), a resident of Bhagwati Vihar in Uttam Nagar.

During interrogation, Sharma allegedly confessed to creating a fake identity in the name of “Sanjay Rana” using forged documents. Police said he, along with his associates, opened multiple bank accounts in HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, AU Small Finance Bank and Yes Bank using fabricated credentials. He had also reportedly availed loans under a fake identity.

The investigation revealed that Sharma operated bank accounts used to receive proceeds from cyber fraud and had purchased a car with illicit funds. The vehicle has been seized by the Odisha Crime Branch. Police also recovered forged Aadhaar and PAN cards, bank-related documents, mobile phones, SIM cards and vehicle records.

In a parallel operation, another team arrested Amit Kumar (31), a resident of Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh, who was staying at a hostel in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Investigators identified him as a first-layer account holder, with nearly Rs 13 lakh from the cheated amount allegedly deposited directly into his account. A mobile phone, two SIM cards, Aadhaar and PAN cards were seized from his possession.

Officials said the accused were part of an organised cyber fraud syndicate involved in creating fake identities, opening mule bank accounts, layering funds through multiple transactions and withdrawing money through various channels to conceal the trail of crime proceeds.

Earlier, a mother-son duo from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, had also been arrested in connection with the same case. Police sources said an investigation is underway to identify other members of the network, trace additional proceeds of crime and establish interstate linkages of the cyber fraud syndicate.

–IANS

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