Digital arrest fraud: Trio arrested from Odisha for duping WB man of Rs 1 Cr by posing as CBI, ED

In a major breakthrough in a high-profile cyber fraud case, a team of Bidhannagar Cyber Police from West Bengal has arrested three youths from Odisha ’s Jagatsinghpur district for impersonating central investigation officials and digitally extorting a whopping Rs 1.09 crore from a Kolkata resident.

The accused, identified as Akash Nath, Neelakantha Nayak, and Manoranjan Parida, were arrested from Kujang's Balarampur and Balia areas after a two-day intensive operation. They had allegedly posed as officers from the CBI, ED, and TRAI, and digitally ‘arrested’ the victim under the pretext of a money laundering investigation.

The case came to light when Subhendu Goswami, a resident of Kolkata’s Lake Town, filed a complaint with the Bidhannagar Cyber Police. According to the complaint, the trio had contacted him over the phone and falsely accused him of being linked to Naresh Goyal in a money laundering case. Threatening arrest, they coerced Goswami into transferring money in five installments through RTGS – amounting to Rs 1.09 crore.

The suspects allegedly continued the extortion attempt by instructing him to mortgage his gold, raising further suspicion. Realizing something was amiss, Goswami filed a report with the cyber crime police.

Acting swiftly, a four-member special team from the Bidhannagar Cyber Police tracked the digital footprints and traced the accused to Kujang in Odisha. For two days, the team camped undercover and coordinated with local police, ultimately arresting two from Balarampur and one from Balia.

Sources said that the accused operated the scam using mobile phones and SIM cards procured from Odisha, which have now been seized by the police. Preliminary investigations reveal that these devices were actively used in the execution of the fraudulent transactions.

The arrested individuals were produced late at night before the Kujang JMFC Court. After completing formalities, the trio was taken on transit remand by West Bengal police for further interrogation in Kolkata.

The case has once again highlighted the growing threat of cyber frauds carried out by sophisticated interstate rackets, often exploiting fear and impersonation tactics. Investigations are ongoing, and police have not ruled out the involvement of more individuals in the racket.