A businessman from Keonjhar was allegedly duped of Rs 2.35 crore by cyber fraudsters who lured him with a fake investment plan. The victim has been identified as Pramod Kumar Rout.
In 2019, Rout received a call from a conman who introduced himself as a higher authority in the finance ministry of Government of India. The cyber crook lured Reddy to invest in Rahat Kosh scheme, assuring him of huge profits.
Rout believed the caller and fell into the trap. He reportedly deposited money in different bank accounts provided by the fraudster. And, the fraud came to light only after Rout asked the conman to transfer the profit to him.
The accused and his associates then switched off their mobile phones when the victim asked them to transfer the profit amount.
Realising that he was duped, Rout approached the Crime Branch of Economic Offences Wing and filed complaints against as many as 10 persons from Hyderabad.
As per the complaint, Rout had transferred Rs 2.35 crore to different accounts provided by the fraudster between 2019-2021. An investigation into the fraud case has been launched and an effort is underway to nab the accused, said sources.
Notably, several residents in Odisha’s Capital city of Bhubaneswar have lost over Rs 1.39 crore to cyber fraudsters in February this year.