Money-doubling scam: Hundreds fall prey to fake app in Nayagarh, lose over Rs 5 crore

“They had promised to pay Rs 55,000 per month by depositing just Rs 5,000 and Rs 1 lakh for Rs 15, 000,” says a local of Nayagarh who is among the hundreds of people who have been duped by a fake app.

Hundreds of depositors have been duped of over Rs 5 crore with the false promise of double returns in Nayagarh. The fake loan app known as ‘APM Terminals,’ has been accused of duping depositors of crores of rupees.

Shockingly, well-known political leaders, lawyers, and police officials are among the depositors who fell victim to the false promises of the fraudsters. The matter came to the fore after the depositors lodged a complaint with Nayagarh police in this connection.

Acting on the complaint, police registered a case and launched a probe into this connection. After a preliminary probe, two persons have been detained in this connection. They have been identified as Arun Dash and Amulya Dash, both from Gayatri Colony in Nayagarh.

“They asked us to deposit Rs 5,000 and promised Rs 1,000 return every day. They also promised to give Rs 5,000 on special days and festivals. Trusting them, I paid Rs 5,000 only to know that the app was deleted later,” alleged a complainant Chiranjibi Pradhan.

Similarly, another depositor Sanjay Kumar Nayak said, “A friend of mine sent the link and asked me to deposit Rs 5,000 as there was an offer on Gandhi Jayanti. He informed me that I would get a Rs 5,000 offer for Gandhi Jayanti and an extra Rs 1,000 every day on a daily basis. So, I logged in and deposited Rs 5,000.”

When contacted, Snehasis Sahu, SDPO Nayagarh said, “We have detained two persons based on the complaints and a further probe is on. Preliminary reports suggest that it is a fraudulent app and that scamsters used it to lure people to deposit money on the false promise of double returns. We have come to know that several people have lost their money. We suspect this fraud is not only limited to Nayagarh and is being carried out in other parts of the state.”