Bhubaneswar: A recent operation has led to the arrest of a 39-year-old M-Tech graduate from a village in Kandhamal district, Odisha, who was located in Goa. This case reveals a calculated scheme that exploits individuals’ vulnerabilities, utilizing fake medical crises and matrimonial platforms as bait.
Jinu Sahani, also known as Rakesh Rajput, is accused of conning numerous women out of Rs 1.19 crore, which he reportedly spent indulging in a luxurious lifestyle in Goa, financing an online gaming addiction, and staying at high-end hotels.
In contrast to quicker cyber thefts, this alleged scam involved prolonged emotional manipulation. Sahani specifically targeted vulnerable individuals, particularly widows seeking new beginnings, through websites like Jeevansathi.com and Shaadi.com. He presented himself under various aliases, such as Sai Krupa Das from Bhubaneswar, and conducted WhatsApp video calls to create a false sense of trust. When the victims relaxed their defenses under the guise of impending marriage, he wove elaborate tales of medical emergencies, claiming his father was gravely ill and that he himself suffered from severe ailments like psoriasis.
To lend credibility to his deceit, he distributed forged medical documents and images. In one significant case from Bhanjanagar, a 31-year-old widow was convinced to relinquish control of her bank account and mortgage her gold jewelry, ultimately transferring nearly Rs 60 lakh to him, citing that his accounts had been frozen.
Further investigations uncovered a broader scheme; Sahani allegedly defrauded a woman in Bhubaneswar of approximately Rs 53.75 lakh and another in Berhampur for Rs 5.30 lakh, using similar methods. The total amount involved in these fraud cases is estimated at around Rs 2 crore, according to police reports.
To evade detection, he reportedly employed multiple fake WhatsApp accounts and SIM cards registered under other individuals’ names. A team from the Ganjam Cyber Crime and Economic Offences unit apprehended him in Goa on Monday and brought him back. A search of his belongings yielded seven mobile phones, seven SIM cards, six power cable chargers, a black travel adapter kit, 12 rubber stamps, two stamp pads, a debit card, an Aadhaar card, a voter identity card, an Indian Railway identity card, a counterfeit court order, two allegedly forged SBI blocked demand draft receipts, and Rs 2,080 in cash. Additionally, around Rs 12.31 lakh linked to the fraud cases has been frozen.
An accomplice, Uttam Kumar Sahu alias Miki, 32, was previously apprehended in Kandhamal on August 2.
According to Ganjam SP Harisha BC, Sahani is not new to fraudulent activities. His criminal record dates back to 2015, starting with scams promising jobs before progressing to intricate matrimonial fraud. He is currently facing multiple charges under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act, with ongoing cases in Puri, Bhubaneswar, and Berhampur.
