Investment fraud targeting Indians from Nepal: Mangaluru police arrest 11 people
Mangaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): The Mangaluru Cyber Crime Police have arrested 11 people allegedly linked to an organised investment fraud syndicate operating from Nepal that targeted Indian citizens and siphoned off crores of rupees, police said on Thursday.
According to the commissioner of Police Mangaluru City Sudheer Kumar Reddy, the cross-border network involved Indian operatives coordinating online investment scams through social media platforms. Five additional suspects remain absconding, while foreign associates are being probed separately.
Digital forensic examination of seized devices revealed details of 624 bank accounts suspected to have routed fraudulent proceeds. Over 4,580 complaints linked to these accounts are recorded on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
Investigators said one account alone saw transactions exceeding Rs 167 crore.
The case registered at the cyber police station relates to a complaint in which a victim was allegedly cheated of Rs 1.38 crore through transfers to 10 bank accounts now linked to multiple cybercrime cases nationwide.
Police said the syndicate recruited account holders through Instagram and Telegram, promising commissions and jobs, before diverting funds into cryptocurrency and transferring them abroad.
Authorities also warned of 'digital slavery', where Indian youths are lured overseas on false job assurances and forced into cyber fraud operations.
Those arrested were identified as Makvan Vikram (25) of Gujarat; Soumyaditya Chattopadhyay (21) of West Bengal; Pupla Shiva Kumar Rao (32), Rajesh Mandan (30), and Mithun Kumar Mangaraj (38) of Jharkhand; Gaurav Pandey (24), Harsh Mishra (22), Mohammed Akeeb Ali (27), and Naushad Ali (34) of Uttar Pradesh; Rajiv Ranjan Kumar (30) of Bihar; and Om Prakash Yadav (37) of Rajasthan.
Police seized a laptop, 21 mobile phones, 20 SIM cards and multiple debit and credit cards.
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West Bengal: EC orders suspension of joint BDO ahead of polls
Kolkata (PTI): The Election Commission on Friday ordered the immediate suspension of a joint block development officer (BDO) in poll-bound West Bengal and directed the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against her.
The poll body, however, did not mention the grounds for the action.
In a letter to the chief secretary of West Bengal, the poll panel said the action against Jyotsna Khatun, the joint BDO of Purba Bardhaman district's Khandaghosh, is based on a recommendation from the chief electoral officer of the state.
"The commission has agreed to the proposal and directs that Jyotsna Khatun be suspended and disciplinary action be initiated against her immediately," the EC stated in its letter to the West Bengal chief secretary.
Khatun had been notified as the Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) for the 259-Khandaghosh Assembly Constituency.
The poll panel has asked authorities to implement the order "with immediate effect" and submit a compliance report by 11 am of Saturday.
The letter also instructed the authorities to urgently propose a replacement for the vacant post.
