Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar police on Sunday arrested three Assam-based cyber fraudsters for allegedly duping a retired bank employee of Rs 8.5 lakh last year by sending him a fraudulent link to update his life certificate required for pension disbursal.Of the trio, one of them is a pharmacist, Harun Rashid (29), from Nagaon district. The other two were identified as Junaidur Islam (22) and Ejajul Haque (23), both hailing from Morigaon district.Last year on Nov 3, the 64-year-old retired officer of a nationalised bank in Bhubaneswar received a link on his mobile phone, purportedly for quick online update of his life certificate. He was then called by a fraudster posing as a bank officer, who warned that his pension account would be frozen if he failed to comply.Trusting the communication, the victim clicked on the link and pretty soon he found that Rs 8.5 lakh had been siphoned off through unauthorised online transactions. He lodged a complaint on Nov 5.“The victim, though a former banker, was unfamiliar with digital banking. His attempt to migrate online without verifying the authenticity of the link cost him dearly. He should have contacted his bank directly for guidance on life certificate submission online,” ACP Suchismita Das of the cyber police station said.Investigating officers traced the fraud through technical analysis, banking records and KYC details, uncovering an organised interstate cyber syndicate that procured mule accounts and SIM cards to route crime proceeds. “We have identified associates of the arrested trio and efforts are on to nab them. The accused are also wanted in other states,” ACP Das said.Police warned that cyber criminals are increasingly circulating fake links via SMS and social media platforms under the guise of life certificate updates, KYC verification, pension updates, account verification, or reward claims.“Never click on suspicious links or share OTPs, PINs, passwords or banking credentials. Always verify communication directly with your bank through its official website, mobile app or branch. If you suspect fraud, immediately call the national cyber helpline 1930 or report it at www.cybercrime.gov.in. Prompt reporting improves the chances of freezing fraudulent transactions,” ACP Das added.
