Over 59000 people fall prey to online trading fraud in Odisha over six years

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday said that as many as 59,000 people have been cheated in online trading frauds in Odisha over the past six years.

According to a written statement by Majhi in the State Assembly, from 2019 to November 2024, the state reported 769 cases of online trading fraud affecting 59,437 people. The cases reported were the highest in 2023 and 2024 with 190 cases affecting 18,994 victims in 2023 and 472 cases affecting 40,270 individuals in 2024.

The Economic Offences Wing of the Odisha police recorded four cases of online trading fraud in 2023, in which cybercriminals cheated 18,804 victims. This year, three additional cases were recorded, with 40,219 individuals affected by fraudulent online trading schemes.

To tackle the tide of online fraud, the Chief Minister had announced the establishment of a dedicated cybercrime unit in Bhubaneswar, operational since September 5, 2023, under the Crime Branch. The unit specializes in a variety of cyber offences such as identity theft, hacking, ATM and online banking fraud, and phishing.

Majhi explained that the cybercrime unit deals with the complexities growing in cybercrimes in the state of Odisha by using expertise sub-units which cater to specific issues.

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He also mentioned the creation of a cyber police station in 2004, which he said was shifted to the crime branch in Cuttack in 2006 and that covered jurisdiction across the state. This police station deals with fraud cases above Rs 25 lakh though it is working without having a dedicated sanctioned staff.

The state has opened 11 new cybercrime police stations and upgraded three existing ones, namely Berhampur, Rourkela, and Sambalpur, in 2021 to strengthen cybercrime prevention. Furthermore, cybercrime cells are operational in all offices of the superintendents of police.

Others, for example, are a cyber help desk, a 1930 call center, a unit on online abuse of children and women, and several other specialist units on cyber monitoring, coordination, forensics, and managing social media and tracing and effective cybercrime in the State, the Chief Minister added.

With Inputs from PTI