Cuttack: The Odisha Crime Branch Cyber Crime Police has arrested two persons from West Bengal’s Darjeeling district for their alleged involvement in a major online investment scam amounting to over Rs 5.14 crore.
They have been identified as Kiran Gurung (55), a resident of Tiumal Para at Siliguri and Randheer Kumar Ray (46), a resident of Gurung Basti.
The arrests were made following a detailed investigation into a case registered at the Odisha State CID-CB Cyber Crime police station (Case No. 12 dated 09.04.2025) under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
According to the complaint, the victim was lured by unknown fraudsters through a fake online trading platform promising high returns on stock market investments. Deceived by the assurances and initial displays of fictitious profits on the platform, the complainant transferred a total of Rs 5,14,00,000 over a period of 20 days starting from March 17, 2025, to multiple bank accounts as directed by the scammers. When the victim later attempted to withdraw the supposed returns, the fraudsters blocked the withdrawal and demanded additional payments.
Realising he had been duped, the complainant reported the matter to the National Cyber Crime Helpline 1930 and subsequently lodged a formal complaint with the Cyber Crime Police Station in Cuttack.
A team led by inspector Rajakishore Behera conducted a thorough probe by tracking the money trail and analysing digital and banking evidence. This led investigators to Darjeeling in West Bengal, where a raid was conducted, resulting in the arrest of two accused persons.
Police sources said one of the arrested persons was a joint account holder in the first layer of mule accounts used in the fraud and had received Rs 49.1 lakh out of the total cheated amount.
During the raid, several incriminating items, including mobile phones, SIM cards, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and other documents believed to have been used in the commission of the crime, were seized from the accused. “Both accused were produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate in Siliguri, where they were granted transit remand. They are currently being brought to Odisha for further interrogation and will subsequently be produced before the SDJM Court in Bhubaneswar,” a Crime Branch release said.
The investigation indicated that the duo was part of a larger network involved in running fake investment schemes and laundering proceeds of cyber fraud through multiple bank accounts. Efforts are underway to trace the remaining amount and identify other members of the racket, it further stated.
The Odisha Crime Branch has cautioned the public to stay alert against fraudulent online investment offers, particularly those promoted on social media and messaging apps promising unrealistically high returns. People have been advised to verify the legitimacy of any trading platform before investing and to immediately report any suspected cyber fraud to the National Cyber Crime Helpline 1930 or through the portal www.cybercrime.gov.in.
