TV
Cuttack Cyber Police, on Monday, arrested the alleged mastermind of the ‘Huge App’ online fraud case. The accused, identified as Partha Sarathi Das, was picked up from Chandipur in Balasore district.
The arrest comes nearly a week after the Odisha Economic Offences Wing (EOW) took over the probe of the fraud, which allegedly defrauded thousands across the state of nearly Rs 20 crore.
According to sources, cyber police officials said that Das is an ex-Army personnel. He had reportedly been staying in Cuttack Badambadi’s Rajendra Nagar area while working as the Cuttack head of the ‘Huge App’ company.
Fraudulent Modus Operandi
Police further stated that Das initially persuaded people to open accounts on the app and then used them to bring in more customers.
Victims were lured to deposit money, amounting to several lakhs. After collecting funds, Das shut down the firm’s office at Badambadi and also closed the app, leaving investors stranded.
The app, launched in November 2024, offered schemes such as daily returns of Rs 200 on an investment of Rs 5,500, and additional incentives for recruiting new members. Barring Cuttack, around 3,000 residents of Jagatsinghpur alone are believed to have invested.
The platform reportedly stopped functioning after August 20, triggering panic and prompting large numbers of complaints. Repeated complaints from residents of the Darghabazar area of Cuttack City led to the Cyber Police investigation.
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Case Handed Over To EOW
On August 24, the probe into the ‘Huge App’ scam was transferred to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Odisha Crime Branch. Preliminary findings suggested that nearly four lakh people across the state invested in the platform, with the fraud amount estimated at over Rs 20 crore.
As of the last reports, police confirmed that Das’s arrest marks a breakthrough in the case, though efforts are on to trace his associates and assess the full scale of the fraud. The EOW is coordinating with the Cyber Police to recover evidence and safeguard the interests of the victims.
