Sambalpur: The Cyber Police in Odisha’s Sambalpur have taken into custody two sisters and their brother for allegedly defrauding a bank official of Rs 25 lakh by utilizing a fraudulent Facebook identity and claiming they could double his investment.
The individuals arrested are Rajkumari Badi (24), Jharana Badi (32), and their brother Rajesh Badi (38). They are originally from Babupada in Jharsuguda but were residing in a rented place at Sainpali, which falls under the jurisdiction of Ainthapali police.
Sambalpur’s Superintendent of Police (SP), Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo, stated that the siblings learned various con techniques through YouTube tutorials.
The inquiry began after Lipak Kumar Pradhan, a branch manager at Bharti AXA Life Insurance in Raurkela, lodged a complaint in June 2026.
As per the police report, the suspects befriended the victim through a fake Facebook profile named ‘Disha Agrawal.’ After establishing trust through online conversations, they claimed to have a special machine that could double currency notes. To further convince the victim, they arranged a live demonstration of this money-doubling trick at a local hotel in Sambalpur. Persuaded by the demonstration, the victim withdrew Rs 25 lakh from a home loan and met the trio at a hotel in Anugola.
The suspects, using similar-looking bags, distracted the victim by pretending to retrieve forgotten items like a USB drive and motorcycle keys, and then swapped the bag containing the cash with an empty one before fleeing the scene.
After receiving the complaint, the Sambalpur Cyber Police registered a case and initiated an investigation led by a Cyber DSP and Inspector. The team successfully traced and arrested the suspects in Jharsuguda.
Authorities recovered Rs 15.80 lakh in cash along with gold jewelry valued at about Rs 12 lakh, which was allegedly purchased with the embezzled funds or redeemed from Muthoot Finance.
Initial investigations revealed that the gang had previously defrauded another victim in Rourkela out of Rs 10 lakh using similar tactics. The police are continuing their investigation.
