Cons posing as bank officials dupe man of 26.7L 'for KYC'

Raipur: The Bilaspur Range Cyber Police arrested three inter-state cyber criminals from a Naxal-affected area in Odisha, busting a major fraud. The accused allegedly duped a Sakri resident of Rs 26.74 lakh by posing as bank officials and obtaining OTPs for KYC updates.

According to the police, the victim, Johnson Ekka, a resident of Sakri, Bilaspur, received a call from an individual claiming to be a bank official. The fraudster tricked Ekka into providing banking details and an OTP under the pretext of an online KYC update. The accused then allegedly took out various loans from Ekka's bank account and transferred the funds to their own accounts.

Following a complaint filed at Sakri police station, the case was transferred to the Range Cyber Police Station, Bilaspur, for further investigation. Based on bank statements and cybercrime portal reports, the police identified the account holders and mobile numbers involved. Technical analysis of online transactions and bank account details linked to the fraud led the police team to Odisha.

With the help of local police in Ulunda, the team apprehended Krishna Luha in a Naxal-affected area. During interrogation, Luha confessed to the crime, revealing the involvement of Gulekh Kumhar and Pankaj Kumar Khaitan. The accused admitted to colluding with others in Rourkela and using fake SIM cards and bank accounts to commit the fraud.

The three accused were brought to Bilaspur on transit remand. They were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bilaspur, and subsequently sent to judicial custody.

The arrested individuals are Krishna Luha (42) and Gulekh Kumhar (40), both residents of Dipapalli, Ulunda police station, Sonepur district, and Pankaj Kumar Khaitan (44), a resident of Sundergarh district, Odisha.