The Commissionerate Police in Bhubaneswar have apprehended Harshit Kant Pandey, a 26-year-old individual from Uttar Pradesh, for his alleged involvement in an online investment scam amounting to Rs 71.74 lakh. Pandey, a resident of Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh, was taken into custody in connection with a case filed based on a complaint by Sujata Sahoo on behalf of her sister Deepika Sahoo from Nandankanan area in Bhubaneswar.
Deepika, currently residing abroad, encountered the fraudsters in 2024 during her stay in Bhubaneswar through a social media advertisement. The accused enticed her to invest her money with promises of high returns, leading to charges of cheating and misappropriation.
According to a senior police official, the fraudsters convinced Deepika to invest significant amounts in Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) with the assurance of lucrative returns. Deepika disclosed that she had transferred Rs 71,74,664 to various accounts as instructed by the cyber fraudsters.
After scrutinizing the money trail, call records, and other evidence, a team from the Cyber Crime and Economic Offence Police Station apprehended Pandey in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He was presented before a local court in Kanpur and subsequently brought to Odisha on transit remand.
Pandey appeared before a Bhubaneswar court on Wednesday, where he was remanded to judicial custody. The Commissionerate Police discovered that Pandey had a prior arrest by Haryana Police for involvement in another cybercrime case. Additionally, it was confirmed that Pandey faces 65 complaints on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal for his alleged participation in various cybercrime investigations.
