Odisha Police’s Barbil Police Station in Keonjhar district has busted an organised gang allegedly involved in robbing truck drivers and carrying out cyber fraud, arresting six accused, including a woman suspected to have links with Jharkhand’s notorious Jamtara cyber fraud network. According to police, the gang first robbed truck drivers of their mobile phones and cash and then used digital payment applications already logged into the stolen devices to transfer money from the victims’ bank accounts.
Police said the case dates back to June 4, when truck driver Rampoojan Tanti, employed by Priyatosh Roy, was allegedly attacked by armed assailants near Raida Chhak. The accused reportedly snatched his mobile phone and cash before using the online payment applications installed on the stolen phone to transfer approximately ₹1.86 lakh from his bank account.
Following a complaint registered at Barbil Police Station on July 6, investigators uncovered a gang comprising nine to ten members operating in the Barbil and Joda areas. The investigation revealed that the group had allegedly been targeting truck drivers for a considerable period, carrying out thefts, snatching incidents and robberies at isolated locations.
According to police, the gang sold the stolen mobile phones to Chandrabati Patra for ₹5,000 to ₹6,000 each. Investigators allege that Chandrabati had links with the Jamtara cyber fraud network in Jharkhand and used digital payment platforms such as PhonePe and Google Pay that were already logged into the stolen devices to transfer money from victims’ bank accounts to other accounts. Police further alleged that she received a commission of 20 to 30 per cent on every fraudulent transaction.
During a search of Chandrabati’s residence, police seized 12 mobile phones, 26 bank passbooks and 28 SIM cards. Investigators believe these items were used to facilitate cyber fraud and unauthorised banking transactions. Based on evidence gathered during the investigation, Chandrabati Patra was subsequently arrested.
The arrested accused have been identified as Haladhar Nayak, Rounak Patra, Manas Tanti, Arbaaz Khan, Chandrabati Patra and Suraj Pal Choudhury. Police said efforts are continuing to trace other absconding members of the network.
According to a Researcher at Algoritha Security, if a stolen mobile phone already has digital payment applications logged in, cybercriminals may attempt to transfer funds from linked bank accounts with minimal technical effort. Users should immediately block the SIM card, inform their bank and payment service providers, temporarily disable UPI services, and change all passwords and UPI PINs. Enabling screen locks, biometric authentication and remote device lock features can also significantly reduce the risk of financial loss.
Police said the investigation is continuing to identify other members of the gang and determine how many truck drivers and other victims were targeted, as well as the total amount fraudulently withdrawn through the network. Further legal action will be taken based on the evidence collected during the investigation.
