Main accused in hacking of OCAC CEO’s WhatsApp number arrested from Bengaluru

A two-member team of Odisha Crime Branch has left for Bengaluru for interrogation of the accused, who happens to be a Nigerian national.

Ashadeep Mohanty Published On : Nov 23, 2021 at 12:05 PM

Bhubaneswar: The prime suspect in hacking of the WhatsApp number of Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) CEO Manoj Kumar Patnaik was arrested by Delhi police yesterday.

Last week, Odisha police had confirmed involvement of a Nigerian national in hacking of the official’s WhatsApp number and had sought cooperation from Delhi and Bangalore counterparts to trace and nab the prime accused.

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Yesterday, Delhi police arrested the accused identified as Okwudiri Paschal (40) when he was withdrawing cash from an ATM in Bengaluru. The cops also seized four mobile phones, seven ATM cards and few SIM cards. The Delhi police has taken him on a eight-day remand for interrogation.

Earlier this month, Delhi police had arrested another Nigerian, Chimelum Emmanuel Aniwetalu (33) alias Maurice Degri, in a similar cyber fraud case in the national capital. Okwudiri, who was in Delhi Police’s “Most Wanted” list, is one of the key associates of Chimelum.

After arresting him, Delhi police intimidated Odisha Crime Branch (CB) about the development. A two-member CB team has left for Bengaluru for interrogation, informed Crime Branch ADG Sanjeeb Panda.

The fraudster had sent malicious links to gain control of the victim’s WhatsApp account. He was operating from Delhi and Bangalore, the senior cop had informed earlier.

Also Read: OCAC CEO’s WhatsApp Number Hacking: Odisha Police Steps Up Efforts To Nab Nigerian Man

Worth mentioning, the fraudster allegedly had hacked Patnaik’s WhatsApp number and later duped five persons from his contacts of Rs 7 lakh.

The OCAC CEO realised about hacking of his WhatsApp number on the night of November 10, when he received phone calls from his friends and colleagues asking about his health conditions. They informed him that they received a message from his number asking them for money for ‘medical emergency’. The next day, the victim lodged a complaint with Saheed Nagar police in this regard.

Taking cognizance of allegation, Odisha Crime Branch filed a Suo Moto case and launched an investigation to trace the cyber fraudsters.

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