BHUBANESWAR: The Crime Branch of Odisha Police have arrested five persons including a woman from Gujarat for allegedly duping a Ganjam-based businessman of over Rs 6.16 crore on the pretext of investing his money in cryptocurrency.
The accused - Sejal Ravikumar Sabhaya, Sabhaya Ravi Kumanbhai, Sabhaya Kumanbhai, Paras Dhirubhai Jesani and Dharmesh Nanubhai Savaliya - are all natives of Surat. CB brought them to Odisha on Wednesday. The victim, a native of Berhampur, had lodged a complaint with CB in this connection following which a case was registered in July last year.
As per the complaint filed by the victim, one Sanjana Srinivasan befriended him on Facebook and introduced herself as a software developer working with IBM in Hong Kong. She insisted him to invest in a Japan-based cryptocurrency trading platform called as ZAIF. Subsequently, he transferred the money in different phases between May and June, 2024.
The cyber fraudsters assured the complainant that he would receive higher profits on his investment but later they told him that he had sustained losses. After realising that it was a scam, the victim attempted to withdraw his money but was instead asked to deposit an additional amount of Rs 89 lakh to complete the procedure. He then approached CB following which the agency’s officers tracked down the accused from Gujarat.