KOLKATA: The detective department has nabbed five fraudsters for cheating Kolkatans by falsely claiming to help them with KYC form update. The arrests are part of the ongoing crackdown on gangs based out of Jamtara-Madhupur who specialize in financial frauds.
So far, 13 arrests have been made in 11 cases since July 2020. “Youths from Bengal and places adjoining Jamtara, like Amravati near Durgapur, are joining the gangs to make a quick buck. They are well conversant in Bengali and Hindi. They pose as tele-callers and dupe unsuspecting bank customers, especially senior citizens,” said an officer from the bank fraud section.
Raids in the Jamtara region following leads led to the arrest of Tapan Das (24), Bidhan Das (24), Raju Das (42), Ranjit Das (39) and Bullet Das (23). “The accused called up bank customers and claimed their cards would be blocked if the KYC was not updated. They coaxed their targets into parting with their bank information,” said joint CP (crime) Murlidhar Sharma. One of the complainants was Praveen Kumar Agarwal who lost Rs 2.8 lakh from his account that was linked to his phone. “A team from the bank fraud section conducted a raid at Jamtara and arrested the accused. They are in police custody till February 19,” said Sharma.