Nagpur: The Nagpur Crime Branch’s Unit-3, with assistance from the Cyber Cell, has arrested a 25-year-old man from Asansol, West Bengal, for allegedly cheating a Nagpur resident of ₹17.32 lakh by promising to provide cryptocurrency (USDT) at a discounted rate. Police suspect the fraud could have links to a larger national or even international cybercrime network.

The accused has been identified as Polab Partha Sarkar (25), a resident of Malik Para, Narsinghabad Road, Balaji Road, Asansol, Purba Bardhaman district, West Bengal.

According to police, the victim, Rohit , a resident in Nagpur, was approached by the accused between October 15, 2025, and May 4, 2026. Sarkar allegedly lured him by claiming he could provide USDT (Tether cryptocurrency) at a price lower than the market rate through the Binance trading platform.

To gain the complainant’s confidence, the accused promised high returns and repeatedly persuaded him to transfer money online. Believing the claims, the victim transferred ₹17,32,612 into the accused’s bank accounts as well as several other accounts. However, the promised USDT was never delivered, following which the complainant approached the police.

A case was registered under Crime No. 305/2026 at the Cyber Police Station under Sections 318(4) and 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Using technical analysis and cyber investigation, Crime Branch officers traced the cryptocurrency transactions and identified the accused’s location in Asansol. A police team travelled to West Bengal, apprehended Sarkar, and brought him to Nagpur for further investigation.

The accused is currently in police custody, and investigators are examining the digital trail, financial transactions, and cryptocurrency movement involved in the fraud.

Police said the possibility of the accused being part of a larger national or international cyber fraud racket cannot be ruled out, and further investigation is underway with the assistance of the Cyber Police Station and the Crime Branch Cyber Cell.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of Nagpur Police Commissioner Dr. Vishwas Nangre Patil, Joint Commissioner Navinchandra Reddy, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rajendra Dabhade, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Deepak Agrawal, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Shivprasad Parwe. The investigation was led by Police Inspector Atul Mohankar and the Crime Branch Unit-3 team, with support from the Cyber Police Station.