Online gaming fraud unraveled: Four arrested after apartment raid in Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Dec 13: The Commissionerate Police arrested four individuals on Friday in connection with an online gaming scam after a raid at an apartment in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The detained suspects include Vaibhav Khanna (29) and Kamaljeet Singh (39) from Delhi, Tajas Kumar Patel (26) from Gujarat, and Gugulavath Mahipal (32) from Andhra Pradesh.

The Cyber Police and Airfield Police raided Flat No. 602 at Prestige Apartment in the Sundarpada area. Bhubaneswar DCP Pinak Mishra reported that the accused had been impersonating a Chinese gaming website, www.winbuzz365.com, and sending fraudulent links via WhatsApp and Telegram.

They enticed victims to join social media groups by charging an initial fee of Rs 100 and promised high returns on gaming investments. Participants were instructed to deposit funds through UPI payments using QR codes. However, once the money was transferred, the victims found their accounts blocked, leaving them unable to access their funds. The gang reportedly controlled money transactions from the backend and earned between Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 for these operations.

Police seized various items from the apartment, including twenty smartphones, two computers, one laptop, CCTV systems, multiple debit cards, a router, Wi-Fi equipment, four passports, and Rs 18,700 in cash. Additionally, police have frozen Rs 6,94,512 in an account believed to be linked to the fraudulent activities. Investigations are ongoing to uncover further connections related to the scam, which had reportedly been operating from the apartment for six months.