BHUBANESWAR: The Crime Branch (CB) of Odisha Police arrested two Rajasthan natives for allegedly defrauding pilgrims by creating a fake website of Neeladri Bhakta Nivas and promising accommodation in Puri.
CB said the cyber fraudsters had created a fake website - www.neeladribhaktanivas.in and provided a fake mobile number to trap gullible pilgrims in the scam.
They shared mule bank account numbers to receive the money from the victims. However, Neeladri Bhakta Nivas management was completely unaware of the fake bookings and subsequently received a lot of complaints.
After examining the financial transactions and digital evidences, the agency arrested Aamir Khan (24) of Alwar and Yusuf Khan (27) of Bharatpur. The two were brought to Odisha from Rajasthan and were recently produced before a court in Cuttack.
The CB had earlier arrested one Anshuman Sharma from Uttar Pradesh's Agra in connection with the case.
The matter had come to light after Arabinda Padhee, chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), filed a complaint in connection to this on March 10.
According to the complaint, the fraudsters had been asking pilgrims to deposit money online to get accommodation at Neeladri Bhakta Nivas in Puri.
CB advised the citizens to remain alert of such fake websites and to thoroughly verify before booking a hotel in any unknown place. It also asked to report such matters immediately on cyber crime helpline number - 1930 or at the nearest police station.