Bhubaneswar: Four fraudsters were arrested by Bhubaneswar Cyber Police on Thursday for allegedly duping people by sending fraudulent links in the name of ‘Cockroach Janata Party’.
The accused, who hail from Jamtara area in Jharkhand, reportedly used APK files claiming to be from the political party. They allegedly misled young users into installing malware and divulging personal information.
The fraudsters also used another method and sent APK files disguised as RTO challans, tricking unsuspecting citizens into transferring money. The cybercriminals specifically targeted youth, exploiting their trust and lack of awareness regarding online scams.
Initial probe showed that the gang managed to cheat victims of over Rs seven crore. The money collected through these fraudulent transactions was reportedly routed into the account of the mother of one of the accused.
A senior officer said a team from the Cyber Police, Bhubaneswar, led by Inspector Om Prakash Mohanty and SI Subhashree Nayak, conducted operations in West Bengal and Jharkhand and arrested four accused in three separate cases.
The first involves an investment fraud of Rs 26 lakh (Case 169/24). The second is an RTO-related fraud amounting to Rs 7 lakh (Case 171/2025). The third case pertains to a Rs 40 lakh scam carried out through unauthorized APK files.
The accused also allegedly created links under the name ‘Cockroach Janata Party,’ which was suspected to have been used to carry out further fraudulent activities, according to Suchismita Das, ACP, Cyber Police Station of Bhubaneswar.
The arrested suspects are currently in police custody, and further investigation is underway to identify other members of the network and trace remaining funds.
Police urged citizens to avoid clicking on suspicious links, verify official sources before making any payments, and report potential cyber fraud immediately.
