The Cyber Crime Police in Bhubaneswar has arrested a 50-year-old Bihar man for allegedly defrauding a city resident of ₹15.19 lakh by promising distributorship and franchise rights of reputed Tata Group companies. Police say he and his associates impersonated representatives of Tata Power Solar Systems Limited and Tata 1mg Health Care Solutions Private Limited and persuaded the victim to transfer money and obtain business approvals.
The accused was identified as Dadhibal Kumar Singh, a Saran district resident in Bihar. He was arrested under case No. 43 of Cyber Crime Police Station registered on 26 March 2026 under the provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Information Technology Act. He was taken to court and after that it was reported to have been arrested where other suspected members of the alleged fraud network were also arrested.
The complaint was filed by Bijan Kumar Mahapatra, who said he was approached by people who had been authorized to represent Tata Power Solar Systems Limited and Tata 1mg in the past. Police said fraudsters approached the victim by email initially and continued the conversation on WhatsApp, with the victim receiving what appeared to be genuine business proposals for distributorship and franchise.
Investigators say the accused and his associates persuaded the complainant to make multiple payments under different heads, including registration charges, agreement processing fees, stock purchases, inventory costs, and tax-related payments like TDS. Police believe these staggered payment requests were purposefully done to give the impression of a legitimate franchise approval process and to retain the victim's trust in the entire transaction.
The complainant, believing the proposals to be legitimate, transferred money through NEFT from his wife's bank account to several bank accounts provided by the alleged fraudsters. The victim paid ₹10.97 lakh for the purported Tata Power Solar distributorship and ₹4.21 lakh for a supposed Tata 1mg franchise, so the total amount was ₹15,19,200. Despite repeated assurances, neither the distributorship nor the franchise was ever granted.
When the promised approvals did not materialize and communication with the alleged representatives became suspicious, the complainant approached the Cyber Crime Police. Investigators studied financial transactions, communication and banking data, and traced the alleged money trail to Bihar, leading to the arrest of Dadhibal Kumar Singh.
Police are now investigating whether the accused targeted other aspiring entrepreneurs using similar fake franchise offers. They’re also investigating emails, WhatsApp messages, banking records, and electronic devices for the existence of other suspects and the movement of money. There’s no doubt, they say, that there are more victims than they thought in other states.
The cybercrime expert and former IPS officer Prof. Triveni Singh warned that organized fraudsters are now using the names of reputed companies to attract investors. He said entrepreneurs are required to check for franchise and distributorship offers only through their official websites and authorized representatives of the concerned companies before they pay. Police said they would pursue further legal action if any other members of the alleged cyber fraud network are found.
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