Sushmita Minz, Assistant Collector, ADM Office Rourkela, Odisha found dead in a pond

The dead body of Sushmita Minz (35), Rourkela Assistant Collector was found floating in a pond near a newly constructed sensory park within Plant Site Police Limits in Rourkela, Odisha at around at 3.15 PM on September 19, 2023 by a security guard. He alerted the Plantsite police. Her sandals and personal items, contained in a plastic bag were discovered on the water body’s steps. It is reported that she was looking after issues related to land acquisition. When she did not return home on September 16, Sandeep, her brother had lodged a missing complaint with Uditnagar police in Rourkela on September 17 after he failed to trace her at the ADM office. She was appointed as the Assistant Collector of Rourkela around 18 months ago. She was a native of Rambahal area of Rajgangpur in Sundargarh district. She was staying at her home in Rajgangpur. She used to travel to her workplace at the ADM office in Rourkela. Celestina Minz, Sushmita’s mother is of the view that she has been murdered. It has been reported that some physical injuries were observed on her body. It is inexplicable as to why Sushmita was staying in Radhika Hotel prior to her death. 

Based on the complaint, the police traced her out alive in Radhika Hotel, located near Rourkela Railway Station. Thereupon, on intimation of police, her family went to meet her at the hotel. They found her depressed, and wanted to take her home. Alhough the police had given them assurance to hand her over to them but the police neither handed over Sushmita Minz to her mother and brother nor took her to hospital for medical examination. Reportedly, instead of doing so, she was taken to the police station. Her brother and mother were helpless. They had returned home with full of pain and disappointment.

In this backdrop, the following questions:
1. When the District administration knew about d mental depression condition & communicated d same to the family members through block development officer (BDO) and child development project officer (CDPO), Gurundia, why Sushmita Minz was neither brought to the family nor taken for medical treatment?
2. When Sushmita Minz was under the police surveillance after being traced out from missing,knowing her mental depression,why she was not handed over to the family?
3. When Sushmita Minz was under the police surveillance in Radhika Hotel, near Rourkela railway station how she was found dead in a pond?
4. After the body of Sushmita Minz was identified by the family members, without registering the FIR, how was the dead body sent for post-mortem to Rourkela General Hospital?
5. When Sushmita Minz was under the police surveillance and the District Administration had knowledge that she was undergoing depression, why her family members were not informed anything about her on 18/09/2023 and 19/09/2023?

It has been reported that police received the postmortem report on September 23. The postmortem report states that she had died due to drowning. 

Sundargarh Adivasi Manch gheraoed the office of the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) demanding CBI inquiry under the supervision of SC/HC Judge into the death. It also demanded the arrest of Sundargarh Collector and Rourkela ADM in this case. 

 

Her brother has sought an investigation into the role of Sundargarh Collector, Rourkela ADM, Gurundia BDO, Gurundia CDPO and a woman sub-inspector in her death. The circumstances surrounding the death remains unclear. On September 28, Rourkela SP Mitrabhanu Mahapatra ordered a probe into the matter by DCP-rank officer Banita Majhi. The police investigation is likely to examine all possible angles including her pending divorce petition. If she was married, why her husband's name is not being reported.

Look out circular against Chinese nationals in online ponzi scam, habitual offenders involved

The Union Home Ministry's Bureau of Immigration (BOI) had issued a look out circular (LOC) against Chinese national Guanhua Wang, one of the main accused in an online Ponzi scheme in late July this year. The LOC was issued on the request of the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Odisha Police after registration of a case under Sections 419/420/467/468 /471/120-B of Indian Penal Code (IPC), 66-C & 66-D Information Technology Act and Section 6 of Odisha Protection of Interests of Depositors (in Financial Establishment) Act, 2011.

Guanhua (40) is wanted in a huge pan-India online Ponzi scam, involving fraud and siphoning of hundreds of crores rupees out of India using a complex network of mule bank accounts, shell companies and crypto-traders. A resident China’s Hangzhou city, he has formed a company called Bettec Technologies Private Limited in 2019 based in Dickenson Road, Bengaluru. He also controls at least two other Bengaluru-based companies — Gamecamp Solutions Private limited and Byrontec Technologies Private Limited — through his mule directors.

On the request of EOW, Odisha, BOI of Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued LOC again in the first week of September against 3 more Chinese citizens (2 male and 1 female), all main accused and close associates of Guanhua Wang, in mega online Ponzi scam.The accused were Liu Huan, Wenhui Zheng and Xu Xiaolu.

During initial investigation, the EOW has found that the accused had siphoned more than Rs 100 crore through his company. It has frozen around Rs 70 lakh from his company’s accounts in 14 different banks. These bank accounts were linked to Apps like Dice, Quickwrummy, Fly Aviator, Weonlinepro Three, MVP trader, Ft11, UNO, Forex Dana, Live 22 cash, Aviator X, City5, Homer Alexander etc.

The Financial Intelligence Unit has been requested to provide details of its other accounts. The total transactions in the above suspected bank accounts are of more than Rs 1,000 crore.

Guanhua had been running this scam from China with the help of many India based associates after visiting India, mainly Bengaluru, six times in 2019 and 2020.His Indian associates have been managing the mule bank accounts, shell companies and crypto-traders,WhatsApp/Telegram group tutors and advertising using morphed photos of celebrities. These scammers used the morphed photographs of big celebrities like Amitabh Bachhan, Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Sachin Tendukar, Technical Guruji (YouTuber),among others to lure the investors. Logo of big companies like Tata was also used to mislead/impress people on various social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube. Earlier, it was found that an App "Join trade- Financial growth” used morphed Pictures of leading Bollywood actors like Akshay Kumar and Manish Paul.It was also found that some social media influencers also promoted these apps/scheme and TV stars/small celebrities were found endorsing their advice related to making quick money through these online Ponzi apps.

During the last one year, EOW Odisha has found that at least in three cases including the above case of cyber-financial cases involving frauds of hundreds of crore rupees being run by Chinese nationals. Most of the victims are from lower middle class, including many students, who wanted jharsugura bye poll Andhrapradesh to become rich in a very short span of time using these shortcuts.

The case details are as under: 

1. EOW Case No.09/2022- Illegal Loan Apps case- Two Chinese

Liu Yi

2. EOW Case No.13/2022- (Illegal Loan Apps case)- three Chinese

Shen Zhenhua

Quan Hongwei

Yang Haiying

All of them had their office/linkages in Bengaluru.An initial probe into a recent case of siphoning of Rs 14 crore by QR code manipulation suggested that entire conspiracy was being run from China.

July 2022 case

Earlier, following a request by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Crime Branch, the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) had issued a lookout circular on 12 July 2022 against Liu Yi, a Chinese national and the key accused in digital app loan fraud case.

EOW had booked Liu Yi under various sections of the IPC and Section 66 D of Information Technology Act. The case was registered on April 21, 2022. Liu Yi used to run many illegal digital loan apps in India, such as KOKO Loan, JOJO Loan, Golden Lightning Loan, Silver Kredit Loan, Gold Cash loan, Speedy rupee Loan, Xpress credit Loan, Rupee Day Loan and others.

It was found surprising that one app alone had more than 1.5 lakh downloads. It was suspected that they duped people across the country, particularly targeting lower middle-class people who were in need of small loans especially during Covid times.

Liu Yi started his illegal business in India in 2019 from Bangalore. His parent company was Jianbing Technology in Hangzhou, China. A director at Omlette technology private limited, he indirectly controls other companies including IWT India, Ocean trading, Yellow Tune Technologies private limited and Techlite development private limited. 

EOW had arrested five accused accomplices of the Chinese mastermind. There were at least two more Chinese people who used to assist the accused in the scam.
It was suspected that they are running illegal loan apps in other countries too, especially in Thailand.

EOW got in touch with various state police and had conducted raids in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. More than Rs 6.57 crore has been frozen.

Following the download in one's mobile, fake loan apps offer small loan amounts ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000, which is credited to the customer’s bank account. Once the amount is credited to the customer’s bank account, he/she is asked to repay the amount at an excessive rate of interest within a week.

It is when the concerned customer fails to repay the high rate of interest, that he/she is harassed. Obscene messages and pictures along with abusive texts are sent to his/her WhatsApp number as well as to his/her contact list as a coercive measure to recover the loan amount with interest.