Five arrested for kidnapping, extortion of junior engineer in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur
Police said Rajiv Das (23), Sankar Mohapatra (36), Satya Prakash Pradhan (26), Sritam Behera (23) and Suraj Sahoo (29) abducted JE Manas Sahoo on May 16.
Manas, a resident of Narasinghpur in Cuttack, is posted at the Rural Development section in Pankapal and stays in government quarters. Satya had connected with Manas on Facebook and after seeing him wearing gold ornaments, reportedly conspired with the other accused to kidnap and extort money and valuables from him, said police.
As per their plan, Satya contacted the JE and claimed that he wanted to meet him for some official work. After Manas agreed, a car arrived near his quarters. In his complaint, the JE had claimed that while the car driver and another person were already inside the vehicle, two more individuals approached from behind and assaulted him. They forced him into the car at gunpoint. The assailants tore his shirt and recorded a video of his bare body reportedly to blackmail him.
The car then proceeded towards Paradip via Rahama Bazaar in Tirtol. Near Rahama petrol pump, a fifth accomplice joined them. The miscreants then demanded `1 lakh from Manas and threatened him with dire consequences if he failed to comply. When the JE told them he had no money, they allegedly snatched a gold chain and finger ring from him.
The accused reportedly warned Manas to arrange the money, saying they would contact him again for the payment and return his belongings afterwards. They then dropped him off near his quarters, following which he lodged a complaint with Kujang police.
Kujang IIC Bansidhar Pradhan said police have seized the vehicle used in the crime and recovered the stolen gold ornaments from the accused's possession.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
Changing landscape of cybercrime in Jharkhand
Ranchi: Only a few years ago, Jamtara, a district in tribal dominated Santhal Pargana division with over 8 lakh people, emerged as the hotspot of organised cybercrimes which were committed across the country. Now, law enforcement officials in Jharkhand are trying to crackdown against cybercriminals who have changed their tactics and their base of operations by fanning out to other districts such as Deoghar, Giridih, Dhanbad, Hazaribag and Koderma and committing high-value frauds, including investment scams and digital arrests. Police investigation into reported cybercrimes in recent months have revealed that the criminals are often working for a international organised cybercrime syndicates whose handlers are sitting in China, Dubai and other southeast Asian countries. Records available with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said 340 cyber fraud cases were reported since January this year. Of them, 110 were which 110 were related to investment scams and seven to digital arrests. The highest number of investment scams was registered in Deoghar, with a figure of 78. In one instance, the CID's cybercrime police station registered a case on May 14 in which fraud worth Rs 1.39 crore was committed against a resident. Posing as officials from an enforcement agency, the cyber criminals made a video call to the victim and implicated him in criminal activities and money laundering. The victim was threatened with immediate digital arrest and was coerced into transferring large sums of money under psychological duress. During the investigation, CID arrested two cyber criminals, one of whom had links with a Dubai-based cybercrime syndicate. On May 5, a resident of Seraikela-Kharsawan district lodged a complaint in connection with investment fraud worth Rs 1.53 crore. The victim was enticed with an investment opportunity through a Facebook advertisement promising five times the return. He was asked to download a fake trading application via a link provided on WhatsApp and register for it. He was asked to invest in various bank accounts registered in the name of companies. The CID arrested a cyber-criminal from Hapur in Uttar Pradesh in this connection. Cyber slavery of the state's residents in Southeast Asian countries has also been reported. In August 2024, CID received a series of complaints from victims who stated they were misled with data entry jobs abroad, particularly in Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, and were forced to work in scam centres there. Two agents, who were natives of Jharkhand, were arrested in this connection. CID officials have stated that cyber criminals in Jamtara have also changed their ways in recent years. From seeking OTPs to carry out illegal purchases, they have now switched to coding and sending APK files to victims. The fraudsters pose as customer care executives of banks and telecom companies and call victims under the pretext of KYC updates, SIM reactivation, benefits of govt schemes, or loan processing. The victims are then sent a link to download an APK file, claiming it is needed for verification. Once installed, the APK grants full access to the victim's phone using screen-sharing or remote access features, often without the user's knowledge. As the victim enters sensitive information or receives OTPs, the fraudster views them in real-time, captures login details, and performs unauthorised transactions. A significant number of job-related cyber scams are also being registered, stated CID. The modus operandi of the Chinese-based prepaid job scam involves contacting victims through platforms like Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram with offers of easy online tasks and daily income. The tasks include liking videos, rating hotels, or boosting app downloads. The victims are paid small sums initially to build trust but later are asked to invest (prepay) money to unlock higher-paying tasks. As victims invest more, they see fake dashboards showing profits, but withdrawals are blocked unless more is deposited. As several people in the state are offering their accounts on a commission basis to cyber frauds for the transaction of money, it has created another challenge for the police. Fake Facebook accounts and hacking, frauds in the name of cryptocurrency investment, updating of know your customer, and preventing the blocking of bank accounts and Aadhar cards are also taking place in the state. In the recent past, fake Facebook accounts have been created for Ranchi deputy commissioner (DC) Manjunath Bhajantri, Hazaribag Sashi Prakash Singh, and Dhanbad DC Aditya Ranjan. Srinivas, the deputy SP of Ranchi cybercrime police station, said, "Like the improvised explosive devices which extremists make in various ways, the cyber criminals are devising new modes of committing crimes." CID is combating the cyber criminals from various angles, from registering cases to freezing the cyber frauds' accounts and arresting them. The CID has also taken legal recourse for the return of money frozen in the banks to the victims. CID IG Asim Vikrant Minz said, "Manpower has been increased at the Dial 1930 centre so that the office is functional round the clock and ensures that no call from the victims is dropped. We have adopted a proactive method in mapping cyber criminals through the Pratibimb app and taking steps to arrest them. Jharkhand is coordinating with other states through the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre in the investigation. Cases with foreign linkages are a big challenge, as even if we have the addresses of the cyber criminals abroad, there is no guarantee that all the countries would cooperate." Elaborating the way forward, Minz said the police has set up cyber police stations in 14 districts, including Ranchi, Latehar, Hazaribag, Dumka, Bokaro, Ramgarh, Chaibasa, Saraikela, Jamtara, Deoghar, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur, Giridih, and Palamu. "In other districts, there are cyber cells to receive complaints," he added. More than 1,976 cyber criminals were arrested since November 2023 using the Pratibimb app while 3,610 mobile phones and 4,924 sim cards were seized. "Awareness is key to preventing cybercrimes. The CID is conducting drives in schools, colleges, and among professionals in this regard. People should learn that greed for large profits may land them in trouble. Banks should also try to verify when an elderly person starts making transfers of huge chunks of money," he added. A cyber expert and founder of Cyber Peace Foundation, Vineet Kumar, said, "The state govt should also have a rehabilitation centre for first-time offenders to give the person a chance to reform. An initiative in this regard has been started by my organisation in Jamtara district. More needs to be done in this regard." Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Complaint against fake social media account in the name of Governor of Karnataka
The Central division cybercrime police on Thursday registered a case against an unknown person for creating a fake social media account in the name of the Governor of Karnataka . Based on the complaint filed by R. Prabhu Shankar, Special Secretary to Governor, Raj Bhavan, the police charged the accused under Section 66 C (identity theft using electronic means) under IT Act for further investigation. According to the complaint, the accused created the Facebook account in the name of the Governor using his picture and sent messages to the general public. The police are now trying to track down the person and ascertain the reason behind his act.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
8 jailed in Meerut over fake drone sighting posts; 15 FIRs filed
Meerut: In a sweeping crackdown on fake drone-sighting rumours, police in Meerut have identified 28 misleading social media posts and lodged 15 FIRs across the district. Eight people have been arrested so far, police said. SSP Vipin Tada said the cyber surveillance teams tracked misinformation on platforms like Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), finding 19 fake posts on Instagram, seven on Facebook and two on X. "These false claims of drone activity triggered panic and unrest in parts of the district. So far, we have arrested eight people and sent them to jail," SSP Tada told TOI. Drone-related fears in UP have often been linked to theft attempts, leading to mass paranoia and in some places, even violent incidents such as the recent lynching case in Bareilly, when a 50-year-old mentally-ill man, believed to be a beggar, was lynched under similar suspicion in the district's Bhojipura area. Authorities have appealed to the public not to circulate unverified content that could incite panic and chaos, leading to a law and order issue. Most of the 15 FIRs were registered in rural areas like Partapur, Parikshitgarh, Mundali and Sardhana. However, several residents alleged that the police were not doing enough to calm public fears. Recounting her experience in one such incident, Rakhi Devi, a resident of Jaibheem Nagar near LLRM Medical College, said, "Men from the nearby forested areas tried to barge into our homes at night. We stayed up all night to keep watch. We even called 112 — the police came, but did little. The drone sightings are real. Even the officers who came acknowledged it, but no serious action followed." Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
