A case of cyber fraud has come to light in Jharkhand. Victims were lured into investing in metal trading with promises of high returns through the Telegram app, resulting in a loss of approximately 3 crore rupees (2.98 crore). The victim filed a complaint with the cybercrime police station under the Jharkhand Crime Investigation Department (CID) on July 28th. Following the complaint, the CID investigated the case and made a breakthrough. The cybercrime branch arrested Dinesh Kumar, a cyber criminal residing in Shastri Nagar, Kadma police station area of Jamshedpur. Mobile phones, laptops, and other materials were seized from the accused. This cyber fraud was executed in a highly sophisticated manner.
The fraud involved creating a link on the Global India site operating on Telegram. Clicking this link opened an online account on the Chicago Board of Options Exchange. Subsequently, around 3 crore rupees (2.98 crore) were swindled from various accounts under the guise of investing in metal trading for high returns. According to information from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal operated by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, the accused’s bank account, which saw a credit of 1.15 crore rupees in a single day, already has two separate cases of investment-related fraud registered against it in Sector 36, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and in Jharkhand, totaling 3.29 crore rupees.
The investigation into the entire matter is ongoing to uncover other bank accounts, operators, and their digital assets connected to this inter-state cybercrime network. To prevent cyber fraud, the Jharkhand CID has appealed to the public not to click on investment offers and links related to doubling returns sent through any social media platform, or register on any unknown portals or apps. They also advise against depositing money in UPI IDs or bank accounts sent via social media. It is recommended to only use government-authorized applications. In case of any cyber fraud, immediately call the cyber helpline number 1930 or file a complaint at www.cybercrime.gov.in.
Earlier, a cyber fraud case emerged from Ranchi where a cyber criminal impersonated an official from a central investigation agency. They digitally arrested a retired person residing in Ranchi, threatening to arrest them in a 300 crore fake scam and money laundering case. The individual was then defrauded of approximately 50 lakh rupees. Ravi Hasmukhlal Godhaniya, a 27-year-old cyber criminal from Junagadh, Gujarat, was arrested in this case.