Odisha doctor cheated of over Rs 6 crore with promise of high returns, 3 arrested

Bhubaneswar: In a shocking case of cyber fraud, the Crime Branch of Odisha Police has arrested three people from West Bengal for allegedly cheating a doctor of Rs 6.04 crore by luring him with promises of high returns on stock market investments.

The accused have been identified as 53-year-old Ashok Nanda from Siliguri, 38-year-old Jayarani Basak from Kolkata and 28-year-old Tapas Halder from Ultadanga. According to the Police, Ashok runs a hotel business. Both were arrested recently and are being brought to Odisha for further investigation.

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TNIE has reported that the case was registered in January after the doctor filed a complaint. He said he got in touch with the accused through Telegram and WhatsApp groups. They convinced him to invest in stock market schemes, claiming he would earn huge profits from IPOs and other trades.

Trusting them, the doctor transferred over Rs 6 crore from eight different bank accounts belonging to him and his associates over a period of just 3.5 months. The money was deposited into 22 bank accounts, police said.

During the investigation, CB found that the fraudsters had further transferred the money to other bank accounts and had then withdrawn it using cheques and ATMs.

“The cyber fraudsters had assured the complainant that he would receive hefty returns through investments in initial public offerings and over-the-counter tradings but they later swindled his money. While Ashok had directly received around Rs 1.11 crore in his bank account, around Rs 6 lakh was found to have been transferred to Jayarani’s account by Ashok,” said a CB officer.

The arrested person, Tapas Haldar, was produced before the Court of ACJM, Sealdah, and later brought on remand to Odisha. He was presented before the SDJM Court in Bhubaneswar on Thursday, reports omcomnews.

The police have seized mobile phones, SIM cards, and ID proofs, including PAN and Aadhaar cards, bank passbooks, cheque books, debit cards and more from the duo. Several bank accounts linked to the fraud have already been frozen.

“The investigation is ongoing. Our team is committed to identifying other accomplices, tracing the trans-India network of this crime, and following the money trail,” the press release stated.

The Odisha Crime Branch has also urged citizens to remain vigilant against unsolicited investment offers on social media and messaging platforms. It advised the public to verify such schemes before investing and to report any suspicious activity to the Cyber Helpline (1930) or the nearest police station.

Medical Dialogues recently reported that a Kolkata-based doctor allegedly lost Rs 1 crore after being threatened with a digital arrest in a fake money laundering case. The police have identified and arrested three fraudsters involved in the scam. The three accused were reportedly part of a racket that operates with the same modus operandi. They allegedly target people with a good financial background and extort money by threatening them.

Also read- Threatened with Digital Arrest, Kolkata doctor loses Rs 1 crore in cyber fraud