Odisha: Cyber fraud cases increase despite awareness drives​

Bhubaneswar, March 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) Despite sustained government efforts to raise public awareness, cybercriminals continue to spread their tentacles across the state, duping gullible people and swindling them out of crores of rupees, according to official data.​

While replying to a query in the Odisha Assembly, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday stated that 4,238 cybercrime cases involving fraud amounting to over Rs 260.61 crore under different heads were registered at police stations across the state between June 1, 2024, and December 31, 2025.

Of the total cases, 2,482 involved financial fraud, 1,689 involved social media fraud, 14 involved hacking, and 53 involved other types of cyber fraud.​

CM Majhi further noted that as many as 868 cyber fraudsters were arrested by the Odisha Police during the last 18 months, which includes 172 held for their involvement in financial fraud cases, 638 arrested in social media fraud cases, one held in a hacking-related fraud case, and 57 in different other types of cyber fraud cases.

During the period, out of the Rs 260.61 crore defrauded by the cybercriminals, the police have managed to recover and return a meagre Rs 61.36 lakh to the victims and have ensured the freezing of another Rs 8.89 crore.​

Apart from this, as many as 27,368 and 49,426 complaints from the state were received on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) from June to the end of December in 2024 and during 2025, respectively.

According to the portal, the fraudsters swindled over Rs 711.99 crore from gullible victims from June 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025.​

“During the period from June 1 to December 31, 2024, out of the reported cyber fraud cases reported in the NCRP portal, an amount of Rs. 2,47,87,268 was successfully returned to the victims, while a substantial sum of Rs. 23,64,30,768 was promptly put on hold in suspect bank accounts through coordinated action with financial institutions and payment intermediaries,” said CM Majhi.

​The Chief Minister also added that in 2025, sustained enforcement efforts helped return Rs 5,31,45,886 to complainants, while Rs 68.71 crore was secured by timely freezing identified fraudulent accounts, preventing further diversion of funds and protecting victims’ interests.

Source: IANS