The Odisha Police on Monday nabbed three cybercriminals from Rourkela steel town on the charge of deceiving an unsuspecting man to the tune of Rs 13.72 lakh by way of online Telegram and Google review scam.
The complainant was trapped through Telegram channel after an individual identifying herself as Nisha Singh had shared a link via Telegram, claiming that users could earn double returns by posting Google reviews for an Indian crypto currency platform, police said.
Failing to the trap laid by the fraudsters, the complainant transferred a total amount of Rs.13,72,070 (Rs 13.72 lakh) in May last. Later, the complainant received a rude jolt as he failed to get the promised return against the investment. After finding that the scheme was fraudulent, he reported the matter at the Police Station for taking legal action.
Based on the data provided by the banks and the telecom authority, the Cyber Police Station, a Cuttack team initiated a technical analysis to identify the individuals involved in the cybercrime. Although the mobile numbers used by the fraudsters were found to be switched off/out of service, the investigating team successfully retrieved login details.
After a thorough analysis of bank transactions, CDR, SDR, and IPDR of the suspected numbers, it was ascertained that the accused persons are residing in Rourkela and nearby areas.
A special squad constituted for the purpose with the assistance of local police, apprehended three accused persons, following all due legal procedures, and brought them to Cuttack for court production and further investigation.