Raipur: Police arrestedthree Kalinga University students—Abdul Aziz Bena, Mohammed Bashir Suleman, and Amin Garba—for their involvement in a multi-crore organized cyber fraud. All these accused are of Nigerian origin.
Meanwhile, the arrests took place in their hostel, where they were allegedly operating an online cheating racket and transferring money offshore via mule accounts.
In a broader operation named Cyber Shield, Raipur police apprehended these three along with 62 other alleged fraudsters, 55 of whom are from Chhattisgarh.
The operation, led by IG Raipur Range IPS Amresh Mishra, involved the investigation of around 1,100 mule accounts, revealing that substantial amounts from victims had been transferred into these accounts. A dedicated team of 100 officers was assembled to trace the real account holders.
The investigation uncovered the involvement of the Kalinga University students, who allegedly funneled extorted funds to offshore accounts. Authorities also identified other cyber criminals operating across states, including Chhattisgarh and Odisha, leading to raids at 40 locations and the arrest of 62 suspects.
Approximately Rs 2 crore was frozen in various bank accounts linked to the suspects. Combined, these fraudsters have defrauded victims of Rs 85 crores, leading to 1,435 registered cases of cyber fraud. Their tactics included creating new accounts, hacking OTPs, and engaging in cryptocurrency schemes, digital arrest and others.
During the investigation it has been found that in return for some commission, several people allowed their accounts to be used by fraudsters for the deposit of money they extorted from the victims of online fraud.
Police have begun questioning individuals who permitted the misuse of their bank accounts for these fraudulent activities, often receiving commissions from the criminals.
Kalinga University Registrar Dr. Sandeep Gandhi confirmed they were informed by the police regarding the arrest of three University students and their involvement in the Cyber Fraud.
Additionally, Kalinga University has previously been dragged into controversies, including a fake degree case linked to Nikhil Thomas in 2023.
Meanwhile, in the context of arrest, Congress leader Sanjay Singh Thakur demanded, an impartial and proper police verification of the foreign students must be conducted. He also highlighted that in recent years, Raipur has continuously evolved as a grey market for drugs and other narcotic products smugglers and might have offshore links in that context. Also proper background checks are needed for an hour.
