Assam: Barpeta Police Bust Major Online Scam, 22 Cheating Cases Registered

Barpeta Police have arrested an accused involved in allegedly cheating several people across Assam by using fake identities on social media platforms and online marketplaces.

The accused has been identified as Dharmeswar Roy, also known as Jitu Roy. Police said he allegedly duped numerous victims by posing as a businessman, contractor, and government officer on social media platforms.

According to police, the accused first befriended a young woman from Barpeta through Facebook and later allegedly extorted more than Rs 10 lakh from her by promising her a job.

Investigations revealed that the fraudster used fake identities on Facebook to gain people’s trust. He allegedly misled victims with promises of jobs, vehicle rentals, and vehicle sales through OLX, cheating many people of large sums of money.

Police said the accused had been running the fraudulent activities for a long time, and several victims from different parts of the state had fallen prey to his scam, with many reportedly losing their life savings.

The arrest was carried out by a team led by Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) Samiran Baishya and Officer-in-Charge Shailen Kalita. Following his detention, several details related to the alleged fraud network have come to light.

Police further informed that as many as 22 cheating cases under Section 420 have already been registered against the accused at multiple police stations, including Panbazar, Latasil, Paltan Bazar, Chandmari, Basistha, Dispur, and Noonmati.

Barpeta Police have registered a case numbered 159/26 against the accused and arrested him under Sections 61(2), 319, 318, 316, and 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The court has remanded him to four days of police custody, and further interrogation is underway.