Bhubaneswar, Aug 30: In a significant breakthrough, Bhubaneswar Cyber Police arrested a notorious cyber fraudster from Rajkot, Gujarat, in connection with a series of digital scams involving fake police video calls and fraudulent business targeting.

The accused, identified as Vishal Ramesh, was apprehended after duping victims of ₹6.94 lakh through Skype-based impersonation tactics.

The fraudster, a matriculation dropout, posed as law enforcement officials via video calls to intimidate and extort money from unsuspecting individuals. Acting on a tip-off, Bhubaneswar Cyber Police travelled to Gujarat and successfully arrested Ramesh. Authorities also managed to freeze ₹2 lakh from his bank account.

Further investigations revealed that Ramesh and his associates had created fake social media accounts to target high-profile businessmen, extracting over ₹14.55 lakh through elaborate scams.

Another accused, Milan Chauhan, was also arrested from Gujarat for similar offenses. These arrests follow earlier detentions of three cyber criminals from Surat, indicating a larger network of digital fraudsters operating across states.

In a parallel operation, Bhubaneswar Cyber Police raided a mobile shop named Shubham Communications in Kalinga Vihar, where pre-activated SIM cards were being sold illegally. Shop owner Kishore Patra was arrested, and a large cache of pre-activated SIMs was seized.

The police have urged citizens not to panic if they receive suspicious video calls claiming to be from law enforcement. Instead, they should immediately report such incidents to the Cyber Police Station. DCP Bhubaneswar commended Sub-Inspectors Manas Ranjan Tripathy and Jyoti Ranjan Parida for their successful operation and contribution to curbing cybercrime.

This crackdown highlights the growing threat of digital fraud and the importance of public awareness and swift law enforcement action.