Time and again you might have come across several instances of cyber fraud where the criminals dupe scores of investors and others through lucrative schemes. In several cases of such fraud, the criminals operate their syndicate from outside India.
Be it through a digital loan, gaming or betting apps, cyber fraudsters easily target gullible investors and people in several parts of India. Such fraudsters or the mastermind manage to run and operate their network from different parts of the world including China, Hong Kong, Dubai and Malaysia.
What is more surprising is that the Odisha Crime Branch’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has issued Look Out Circular (LOC) against such 11 accused in the past two years. However, the EOW has been successful in arresting one accused so far.
Of the total 11 accused, 4 persons are involved in digital loan app, one in gaming app and 5 others in other incidents of fraud. Not only Odisha, but these cyber fraudsters have also been actively involved in cheating people in different parts of the country. Even though the EOW has sought the assistance of CBI and Interpol, the mastermind operating from foreign soil are beyond the reach of the law so far.
Inspector General (IG) of the Economic Offence Wing, Jai Narayan Pankaj said, “There was scam where the fraudster operated from Malayasia. Other fraudsters operate from foreign countries and there are challenges. A lot of state police are trying and already arrested their sources in the network.”
Recently, the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) issued a Lookout Circular (LOC) against accused Md. Saif of Shaheen Bagh, Delhi, who is said to be the mastermind in an international ponzi-cum-betting racket.
“The operator from Dubai is operating the crime for the last two years. We had written to BoI and they have issued a Look Out Circular against him,”Pankaj added.
The LOC has been issued by the BoI at the request of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Odisha Crime Branch which is investigating the case. The case is against 18football.com which was earlier registered by some 800 duped investors from Ganjam district.
“These days, criminals from outside India are actively involved in cyber crimes and fraud through various Apps and we need to remain alert,” said Cyber Expert, Prashant Sahu.
(Reported by Alok Mohanty)