Odisha Man Honey-Trapped, Loses Over Rs 20 Lakh To Fraudster

Bhubaneswar: A retired government employee from Odisha’s Cuttack city of Odisha has lost over Rs 20 lakh after he was allegedly honey trapped by a woman from abroad through Facebook.

The incident came to the fore after the elderly man lodged a complaint with Cyber police in Cuttack recently.

As per the complaint, the woman who identified herself as Leona Jimmy from Manchester in United Kingdom, had sent friend request to the retired government employee through Facebook in 2018.

The woman had chatted with the complainant soon after he accepted her friend request. She had then identified herself as a gold merchant.

Six months later, the woman contacted the complainant and informed him that she was facing some issues related to custom duty upon her arrival at Delhi Airport and wanted money to get herself released.

The complainant had reportedly transferred Rs 20.61 lakh to the woman through several bank accounts between 2018 and 2022. The man realised that he had become a victim of cyber fraud when the woman sought more money some days ago and approached the police.

A case has been registered and investigation is in progress. If necessary, assistance of Odisha Crime Branch may be sought, according to Cuttack Additional DCP Anil Mishra.