The Goa Police Crime Branch has uncovered a fake parcel delivery cyber fraud racket and arrested a key accused from Odisha. Officials called the arrest a major step in cracking organised cybercrime that relied on bulk SMS phishing to target victims nationwide.
The case was registered at the Crime Branch Police Station under Cr. No. 126/2025 on December 27, 2025, following a complaint from a resident of Goa Velha. The complainant reported a loss of ₹85,238.47 after receiving a fraudulent SMS claiming a courier delivery reattempt.
Investigators said the scam began with an SMS designed to look like an official courier alert. The message falsely stated that a DTDC parcel delivery had failed and urged the recipient to click on a link for immediate action.
Unaware that the message was fake, the victim clicked the link. This allowed the scammers to collect sensitive details and later transfer money from the victim’s bank account. Police said parcel related messages are increasingly used by fraudsters as online shopping and courier interactions have become routine.
“Parcel scams work because they create urgency and appear routine,” sources linked to the probe said. “In most cases, victims realise what has happened only after the money is gone.”
Using technical surveillance, digital forensics and transaction tracking, the Crime Branch traced the operation to Bamloi Part, Katarabaga, under Thelkoloi Police Station in Sambalpur district of Odisha. The accused, 38 year old Susanta Bhue, was arrested on January 3, 2026, and brought to Goa for further investigation.
Crime Branch officials said the accused managed bulk messaging and phishing systems rather than selecting victims individually. This setup allowed fake links to be sent to thousands of mobile numbers at once.
Analysis of the accused’s phone and digital records showed heavy use of bulk SMS platforms. Investigators linked him to several scam formats, including fake parcel alerts, honey trapping, credit card reward frauds, gaming payout scams, and part time job offers.
The accused was produced before a court and remanded to police custody for 4 days. The next hearing is scheduled for January 8, 2026. Investigators are now tracking other suspects, servers, domains, and financial channels linked to the fraud.
The Crime Branch has advised citizens to be cautious of unsolicited SMS messages and reminded the public that courier companies do not ask users to click links or share banking details through text messages.
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