Cyber cops net 3 for cheating investor of Rs 94L

Bhubaneswar: The cyber police station in Bhubaneswar arrested three men on Thursday for allegedly duping an investor of Rs 94 lakh by promising to double his money through stock trading in a short period.The accused have been identified as Lala Basantara (21), Manas Kumar Sahu (30) and Chinmay Sahoo (19), all residents of Reamal in Odisha’s Deogarh district.According to police, a case was registered on Dec 5, 2025, following a complaint by a victim who claimed he had lost Rs 94.62 lakh in a fraudulent investment scheme.Investigations revealed that the trio were part of a larger inter-state cyber crime network that has been targeting unsuspecting investors by offering unusually high returns. “The three accused received substantial amounts of money in their accounts. Efforts are underway to trace other members of the gang,” a police officer said.The scammers reportedly contacted the victim via a social media platform, enticing him with promises of high returns on stock investments. Initially, they paid him small profits to build trust. Encouraged, the victim went on to invest over Rs 94 lakh.“Within weeks, his online wallet reflected nearly double the invested amount. However, when he attempted to withdraw the funds, the fraudsters blocked the transaction and demanded an additional deposit of about 30% of the wallet’s value to enable withdrawal,” the officer said. Realising he had been cheated, the victim approached the cyber police last month, leading to the arrests.