Rourkela, Apr 9: In a major breakthrough against organized cybercrime, Rourkela Police have arrested nine inter-state cyber fraudsters and uncovered a massive scam involving fake trading apps and Hawala transactions.
The accused, mostly from Chhattisgarh, were allegedly running a sophisticated racket under the guise of a fake trading app called “TradeNow.”
How the Bust Happened:
Acting on a tip-off, the Cyber Crime & Economic Offenses (CC&EO) Police Station in Rourkela raided an apartment in Civil Township over suspicion of it being used as a cyber fraud hub. Two individuals were initially detained. Based on their information, a second raid was conducted at Basanti Colony, leading to the detention of five more suspects.
Subsequent interrogation led to the arrest of two more operatives from Chhattisgarh’s Raipur, bringing the total arrests to nine.
Who Are the Accused?
The arrested cyber fraudsters have been identified as:
- Kishan Agrawal (26) – Raipur, Chhattisgarh
- Kunal Agarwal (25) – Raipur, Chhattisgarh
- Arjun Singh (27) – Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand
- Girdhari Singh – Jaspur, Chhattisgarh
- Ajay Kumar (25) – Korba, Chhattisgarh
- Sandeep Kumar Soni (28) – Baloda Bazar, Chhattisgarh
- Soumendra Singh Rajput (27) – Janjgir Champa, Chhattisgarh
- Abhijit Bharadwaj – Raigarh (Sarangarh), Chhattisgarh
- Dinesh Kumar Sahu (25) – Janjgir Champa, Chhattisgarh
The Modus Operandi:
The accused were allegedly operating “TradeNow,” a fake trading app that promised high returns on investments. Victims were lured into downloading the app and investing money, which was then routed through mule accounts and Hawala channels, with daily transactions exceeding Rs. 50 lakhs.
The mastermind, Kishan Agrawal, is believed to be operating the scam from Dubai, UAE.
According to police, he is involved in similar rackets running across India and other South and West Asian countries. Investigators suspect that Agrawal fled to Dubai to avoid arrest and has been orchestrating the scam remotely.
Seized Items and Ongoing Investigation:
The police have seized the following items from the possession of the accused:
- Five laptops
- 31 mobile phones
- 68 SIM cards from various networks
- 20 ID proofs
- ATM cards, a cheque book
- One car and a scooter
So far, Rs. 1.41 crore has been frozen in 23 different bank accounts, and 176 other accounts are currently under verification.
Cybercrime Network Spanning Borders:
Preliminary investigations suggest that the fraudulent operations were part of a well-structured international cybercrime racket, with deep links to financial fraud and money laundering via Hawala operators. The transactions and digital trails are now being traced, and efforts are ongoing to locate other key players involved.
Police Statement:
A senior Rourkela Police official stated, “This is not just a local fraud but an international organized crime operation. We are working closely with cybercrime units and financial intelligence agencies to track down all the culprits, including those operating from abroad. Strong legal action will be taken against those exploiting innocent people through digital frauds.”
