Odisha: Kendrapada doctor loses over Rs 10 lakh to cyber frauds

BHUBANESWAR: A doctor in Kendrapada district has lost Rs 10.52 lakh to cyber frauds, who promised to double his investment in a week. Badal Mohanty, who is posted in a community health centre in Rajkanika, lodged a complaint with the Crime Branch’s cyber police station in Cuttack a few days ago.
Last month, Mohanty received an email from an anonymous sender to invest money in a cryptocurrency trading system.Without verifying the credentials of the sender, Mohanty showed interest and started chatting with the frauds.
“I invested around Rs 10.52 lakh in phases. When I did not get the promised return within a week, I asked them to refund my investment. They asked me to send rupees five lakh more. It was then that I realized they were cheats,” Mohanty said. The doctor said though he has already lodged a complaint with the cyber cell of the Crime Branch, he is unaware of the progress of the investigation.
Sources said Mohanty had recently taken a home loan from a bank. He had also arranged for some more money from different sources and invested in the fraudulent cryptocurrency trading system.
Police said it is very difficult to retrieve money unless the complaint is lodged within a few hours of the occurrence of the crime. “The cyber crooks are highly tech-savvy and immediately siphon money from their bank accounts to the dark web from where it is extremely difficult to retrieve the money. It is difficult to trace them as well,” a cyber cell official said.
The police further said they often find it difficult to get support from the banks concerned located in other states. “In many cases, the bank accounts were opened in the names of fictitious persons. Despite our regular awareness campaigns, it is sad and shocking to see educated persons getting cheated by cyber frauds,” the official said.
Cybercrime cases in the state increased by an alarming 31% in 2020 as compared to 2019. Altogether 1,931 cases were registered last year as against 1,475 cases in 2019. The police said the bulk of the cases were reported during the lockdown.