SAMBALPUR: The cyber crime and economic offences police station in Sambalpur has recovered Rs 35.5 lakh lost in cyber fraud cases over the last two months and retrieved 100 stolen or lost mobile phones. Some of the money has been restored to the victims.
According to the police, Rs 15.5 lakh was recovered in a fraud case in which victim Lipak Pradhan reported being cheated of Rs 25 lakh. Ornaments purchased using the remaining amount were also seized. In another case, Rs 6.12 lakh was recovered against a reported fraud of Rs 6.94 lakh involving victim Sunil Kumar Sahu. The remaining amount has been put on hold and is expected to be credited to the victim’s account.
Similarly, Rs 2.11 lakh was recovered in a case involving Hemanta Biswal, who reported a fraud of Rs 37.89 lakh. Police also recovered Rs 2.08 lakh in a Town police station case involving victim Jagannath Ghosh, who reported being defrauded of Rs 2.67 lakh.
In another case involving victim Satyam Meher, who reported a fraud of Rs 3.5 lakh, Rs 1.05 lakh was recovered. An additional Rs 2.25 lakh was recovered from other cyber fraud complaints.
Apart from these recoveries, Rs 6.38 lakh has been restored to 74 victims through the Money Restoration Module (MRM) portal. Police are coordinating with banks and financial institutions to process restoration requests and return eligible amounts to victims.
Police shared the information during a mobile return mela, during which Sambalpur SP Mukesh Bhamoo advised citizens to remain vigilant against online investment fraud, phishing links, impersonation and fake customer-care numbers. “Victims of cyber financial fraud should immediately call the national cybercrime helpline 1930 or report incidents through www.cybercrime.gov.in. Prompt reporting increases the chances of tracing and freezing defrauded funds,” he said.
