The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Odisha police arrested two cybercriminals from Madhya Pradesh on the charge of duping a scientist and a businessman from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack to the tune of Rs 3.64 crore in two separate digital arrest and investment fraud cases.

While Sachin Kolan was arrested in Rs 1.06 crore digital arrest complaint lodged by a senior scientist in Bhubaneswar, Samir Ali was nabbed for deceiving Rs 2.58 crore from a Cuttack-based by ensnaring him in an investment scam. They are being brought to Odisha under transit remand from MP to elicit vital incriminating information from them, CID-Odisha officials said.

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The senior scientist had received a call from an unknown mobile number with the caller claiming that he was from a courier service. The caller told him that using his name and Aadhar number, a parcel containing banned drug substances was sent to Japan.

The caller, who was a member of the digital arrest racket, later claimed that the Customs Department had dispatched it to the Narcotics Department for registration of FIR.

The scammers later asked to talk to the Mumbai Crime Branch. Later he received another call, which was promptly shifted to a video call with a whatsapp number, which was showing as Mumbai Crime Branch.

Through the video call, a person wearing police dress was seen discussing with a Deputy Commissioner of Police and telling the staff to stop FIR against him as he is a Government Officer.

He was made to believe that they have all the personal information about him. They told him not to disconnect the call till the investigation is over. They also shared names and photos of various Senior Officers who were investigated and issued No Objection Certificate.

The call was shifted. In the process, the scammers applying intimidating tactics transferred the amount in a phased manner to escape arrest.

In February 2024, while browsing the internet for stock market investments, a businessman in Cuttack came across a WhatsApp group named “Ram Investment Academy.” He became a member of this group in the same month and invested Rs 2.58 crore utilizing all his family savings, including his wife’s and father’s money, in the hope of earning more profit and found the investment has grown manifold to Rs 21 crore.

However, he later received a rude jolt to find that the group ceased operations and a man from a specific phone number contacted him demanding a commission to withdraw his capital.

But he refused to pay the commission, suspecting their integrity. Whenever he attempted to withdraw from his capital account, they consistently refused and insisted on the payment of the commission. Smelling foul-play, the trader later lodged a complaint with the Odisha CID, concluded CID officials.