Rs 5.14 Crore Online Investment Fraud Busted; Two Arrested from Darjeeling

Bhubaneswar: In a major breakthrough, the Cyber Wing of the Odisha Crime Branch has arrested two individuals from West Bengal’s Darjeeling district in connection with a massive online investment fraud worth ₹5.14 crore involving a fake trading platform.

The accused have been identified as Kiran Gurung (55) of Tiumal Para under Siliguri Police Station and Randheer Kumar Ray (46) of Ward No. 03, Gurung Basti under Pradhan Nagar Police Station in Darjeeling.

According to an official release, the case was registered on April 9, 2025, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 66-C and 66-D of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The fraud involved duping a victim through a bogus online trading platform that promised unusually high returns on stock market investments.

As per the complaint, the victim was lured into investing over a period of 20 days starting March 17, 2025, ultimately transferring ₹5.14 crore. To build trust, the fraudsters initially showed fake profits on the platform. However, when the victim attempted to withdraw the funds, the requests were blocked and further payments were demanded.

Realising the scam, the victim contacted the Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) and filed a complaint with the CID-Crime Branch Cyber Police Station in Cuttack.

A special investigation team led by Inspector Rajakishore Behera tracked the money trail and analysed digital evidence, which led to a raid in Darjeeling. The two accused were subsequently apprehended. During the investigation, it was found that a joint bank account linked to the racket had received ₹49.1 lakh from the defrauded amount.

Police seized mobile phones, SIM cards, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and other incriminating materials during the operation.

The accused were produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate in Siliguri and granted transit remand. They are being brought to Odisha for further questioning and will be presented before the SDJM Court in Bhubaneswar.

Preliminary findings suggest the involvement of a larger interstate cyber fraud network operating fake investment schemes and routing illicit funds through multiple bank accounts. Efforts are ongoing to identify other members and recover the remaining amount.

The Crime Branch has urged citizens to remain vigilant against fraudulent investment offers circulating on social media and messaging platforms. People are advised to verify the authenticity of investment platforms before transferring money and report suspicious activities immediately via the Cyber Crime Helpline (1930) or the official portal www.cybercrime.gov.in.