In a major crackdown on suspected illegal transport of precious metals, police in Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund district seized more than 7.5 kilograms of gold jewellery worth over Rs 9 crore from a luxury car fitted with a secret chamber. Three men from Gujarat were detained after failing to produce valid documents related to the gold consignment.

The operation was carried out late Sunday night during vehicle checking on National Highway-353 near the Rehtikhol check post under the Singoda police station limits. Officials said police personnel were conducting routine checking of vehicles entering Chhattisgarh from Odisha when they intercepted a Volkswagen Virtus car bearing Gujarat registration number GJ 03 NP 4230.

Hidden Chamber Found

According to police officials, the occupants of the car appeared nervous during questioning, which raised suspicion among the checking team. The three men identified themselves as Jayesh Akbari, Sunit Karena and Rushi Agrawat, all residents of Rajkot in Gujarat. During a detailed search of the vehicle, police discovered a specially designed secret chamber beneath the rear seat of the car. Inside the hidden compartment, officers recovered two backpack bags containing six plastic containers filled with gold jewellery. Police said the total weight of the recovered ornaments was found to be 7512.488 grams, or more than 7.5 kilograms. The estimated market value of the seized gold jewellery has been pegged at nearly Rs 9.17 crore. The car used for transporting the consignment was also seized and valued at around Rs 10 lakh.

Documents Not Produced

Investigators said the accused could not provide any purchase invoices, ownership proof or transport documents linked to the gold jewellery. Following this, the police confiscated both the gold and the vehicle under relevant legal provisions. Officials stated that the case is being treated seriously due to the high value of the seized material and the suspicious manner in which it was being transported. Police suspect that the gold may have been moved illegally across states to avoid tax scrutiny or for organised smuggling operations. Authorities have informed the Income Tax Department and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence to examine the financial and legal aspects connected to the consignment. Investigators are now trying to determine the origin of the jewellery and the intended delivery destination. The seizure quickly became part of the Latest News Today cycle as law enforcement agencies intensified monitoring of inter-state movement of high-value goods.

Probe Into Network

Police sources indicated that investigators are also examining whether the accused are linked to a larger smuggling or hawala network operating between Gujarat, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Call records, financial transactions and travel history of the detained individuals are being verified. Senior officials said the use of a concealed chamber inside the vehicle suggested prior planning and possible involvement in organised illegal transport activities. The accused are currently being questioned, and more arrests may follow depending on the findings of the investigation. The incident has emerged as a major Public Interest Story due to growing concerns over illegal transport of gold and other valuables through interstate highway routes.

Silver Seized In Ambikapur

In a separate operation in Ambikapur, police seized more than 95 kilograms of old silver anklets and 760 used mobile phones from an Omni van during routine checking. Five men from West Bengal were arrested in connection with the recovery. The action was carried out by Gandhinagar police during vehicle checking near Banaras Road. Officials said the vehicle was stopped after police noticed suspicious movement by the occupants during inspection. Upon searching the van, police recovered 95.5 kilograms of old silver anklets packed inside bags along with hundreds of old mobile phones. The accused allegedly failed to provide satisfactory explanations regarding the ownership and transportation of the seized items.

Five Accused Arrested

The arrested individuals have been identified as Sentu Sheikh, Gaffar Sheikh, Asim Sheikh, Ibrahim Sheikh and Mashdul Sheikh, all residents of Murshidabad district in West Bengal. Police suspect the silver ornaments and mobile phones may have been collected through illegal means. Investigators are particularly examining whether the old mobile phones were intended for use in cyber fraud or online scam operations. Officials said the silver jewellery is worth several lakh rupees in the market. A case has been registered against the accused, and all five were produced before a local court before being sent to judicial custody.

Security Agencies Alert

The back-to-back recoveries in Mahasamund and Ambikapur have prompted security and intelligence agencies to step up surveillance on interstate vehicle movement in Chhattisgarh. Police officials said special checking drives are being conducted on major highways and border routes to track suspicious movement of valuables and electronic items. Authorities are also examining whether the two incidents have any connection with larger interstate smuggling or illegal trade networks. Investigators believe organised groups may be using highway routes through Chhattisgarh to transport unaccounted valuables and second-hand electronic devices.

A Raipur doctor has allegedly lost Rs 1.51 lakh to cyber fraudsters who promised high returns through a fake trading scheme and convinced her to transfer money in multiple instalments. The cyber fraud case was reported in Raipur after the victim, a woman doctor working at a private children’s hospital, approached City Kotwali police when the promised returns never arrived.

According to police, the accused contacted the doctor through WhatsApp and projected themselves as investment facilitators offering quick profits through a trading plan. The complainant later realised she had fallen victim to a cyber fraud after the suspects stopped responding and began demanding more money.

WhatsApp contact began

Police said the complainant, Dr Pooja Kishor, works at Balgopal Children Hospital in Raipur and resides in the hospital hostel. She told investigators that on April 24, 2026, she received messages on WhatsApp from two separate mobile numbers.

The senders introduced themselves as persons linked to an investment scheme and claimed they could help her earn substantial returns through online trading. According to the complaint, the messages were designed to build trust and persuade her to invest quickly.

Money sent in parts

After repeated communication, the doctor agreed to transfer funds. Police said the accused allegedly persuaded her to send money through UPI in 13 separate transactions.

The complainant transferred amounts including Rs 22,178, Rs 22,177, Rs 5,000, Rs 22,937, Rs 15,999, Rs 22,937, Rs 10,212 and Rs 29,999, among other payments, taking the total amount to Rs 1,51,439.

Investigators said the money was transferred to multiple accounts linked to Kotak Mahindra Bank and State Bank of India.

Friends’ accounts also used

In her complaint, Dr Kishor told police that her own bank account had a transaction limit of Rs 1 lakh. After she reached that cap, the accused allegedly asked her to continue sending money through other accounts to complete the “investment process”.

She then used the bank accounts of her friends, identified as Lokesh Bandebuchche and Niranjan Sawant, to transfer additional amounts, according to the complaint. Police are now examining those linked transactions as part of the financial trail.

No returns, fraud exposed

The complainant told police she initially expected returns as promised by the accused. However, when no payment was credited back and the suspects continued to ask for more money, she began to suspect fraud.

Officials said she then approached City Kotwali police and filed a written complaint. Based on the complaint, police registered a case and launched a formal probe into the cyber fraud.

Police begin probe

Raipur police have registered an offence under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and started an investigation. Officials said they are tracing the mobile numbers used to contact the victim and verifying the bank accounts and UPI IDs that received the funds.

According to officials, investigators are also gathering digital transaction records and technical inputs to identify the accused and determine whether the fraud is linked to a larger organised network.

Rising cyber fraud threat

The case adds to a growing list of cyber fraud complaints involving fake trading and investment schemes being circulated through WhatsApp and social media platforms. Such frauds often target professionals by offering quick returns and using repeated digital contact to gain confidence.

Police have urged the public not to trust investment offers shared through social media without verification. Officials advised people to cross-check financial schemes before transferring money and report suspicious digital activity immediately.

Jharkhand Cyber Criminal Arrested in Jagdalpur: Accused Wanted Across 16 States Finally Nabbed by Bastar Police

A fugitive cyber fraudster, wanted by police across 16 states, has been tracked down and arrested in Jagdalpur — a significant breakthrough in one of India's most expansive digital fraud networks.

The Arrest That Took 16 States to Make Happen

Bastar Police have arrested a Jharkhand-based cyber criminal from Jagdalpur — a man reportedly wanted in connection with fraud cases spanning 16 states across India. The arrest marks a major breakthrough in the ongoing battle against organised digital crime networks that have plagued citizens from Chhattisgarh to the northern plains.

The accused, originally from Jharkhand — a state that has become synonymous with organised cyber fraud operations — had been evading multiple state police forces for an extended period. Jagdalpur, far from his base of operations, was being used as a hideout to escape the widening law enforcement net.

How These Networks Operate

Jharkhand-based cyber fraud syndicates are not random opportunists. They are highly structured criminal enterprises.

Investigators across the country have documented how these networks are divided into distinct modules — one team handling phone calls and impersonation, another managing SIM card procurement, a third controlling bank accounts, and a fourth responsible for layering and withdrawing funds before they can be traced or frozen.

The accused typically pose as bank officials, government representatives, or insurance agents to extract OTPs, banking credentials, and personal financial information from unsuspecting victims. Once money is transferred, it is rapidly moved through multiple accounts across different states — making it extraordinarily difficult to trace.

Across coordinated operations in recent months, police across India have recovered thousands of mobile phones, hundreds of SIM cards, dozens of ATM cards, and handwritten transaction registers that serve as the offline ledgers of a very online crime.

Why Chhattisgarh Is Emerging as a Cyber Crime Hotspot

The arrest in Jagdalpur is not an isolated incident. Chhattisgarh — particularly its tribal belt — is increasingly being used by inter-state criminal networks as a base of operations and a place to lie low after crimes committed elsewhere.

Poor digital literacy, limited banking awareness, and remote geography make both local residents easy victims and local terrain a convenient refuge for operatives fleeing more active investigations in other states.

Bastar Police deserve credit for maintaining active surveillance networks that caught a suspect wanted in 16 different jurisdictions. But the arrest also raises an uncomfortable question — how many more are using Chhattisgarh's remoteness as cover?

The 16-State Trail

Being wanted across 16 states is not a small matter. It means this individual — or the network he operated within — defrauded victims in nearly half of India's states. Each complaint represents a real person who lost real money, often life savings, to a phone call or a fake link.

The national scale of this network underlines why single-state policing of cyber crime is fundamentally inadequate. What Bastar Police caught was not just one man — they caught a thread that leads to a web of fraud stretching from the Northeast to the Northwest of India.

What Happens Next

The accused will now face coordinated interrogation — likely involving cyber crime units from multiple states. His digital devices, SIM cards, and bank account records will be forensically examined to map the full structure of the network he belonged to.

Crucially, investigators will try to identify the masterminds who sit above the foot soldiers. In most Jharkhand-origin cyber fraud cases, the people arrested are operators and callers — not the architects. Finding those architects, dismantling their financing, and prosecuting them under the IT Act and IPC together is the only way to actually slow this down.

One arrest, one hideout, one fugitive caught in Jagdalpur — it matters. But the war on cyber fraud in India has barely begun.