Bhubaneswar, Nov 17 (PTI) The Odisha police have found the alleged involvement of a Nigerian national operating from Bengaluru in the hacking of the WhatsApp account of the CEO of state-run Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC), a senior police officer said on Wednesday.

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Additional Director General of Police, Crime Branch of State Police, Sanjeeb Panda told reporters that similar cyber fraud had occurred in Delhi and the main accused Chimelum Emmanuel Aniwetalu (33) alias Maurice Degri, a Nigerian national, was arrested on November 1.

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One of his associates, who also happens to be a Nigerian, is involved in the hacking of OCAC CEO Manoj Kumar Patnaik's WhatsApp account, the police officer said.

“This person is also in the ‘Most Wanted' list of the Delhi Police. We are coordinating with our Delhi and Bengaluru counterparts to trace and nab the accused,” the ADG said.

A few days ago the WhatsApp account of the OCAC CEO was allegedly hacked by the fraudster who demanded money from Patnaik's relatives by impersonating him.

Five persons in Patnaik's contact list were duped of Rs 7 lakh when they transferred the amount to the bank accounts shared by the culprit, he said.

The OCAC CEO realised about the hacking on November 10, when he started receiving calls from his friends and relatives, asking about his health condition.

They had received a distress message from Patnaik's number, seeking financial help for a medical emergency, the officer said in his complaint lodged at Saheed Nagar police station on November 11.

The Odisha Crime Branch filed a Suo Moto case and launched an investigation to trace the cyber fraudsters, the ADG said.

The Crime Branch ADG said that cybercriminals gain control over a WhatsApp account by sending malicious links.

“Then they seek financial help from people on the contact list of the hacked account ” he said.

The Crime Branch has appealed to people not to click on malicious links.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)