Kolkata: The Mumbai Police crime branch has busted a gang and arrested seven persons who were operating from multiple spots in north Bengal and Kolkata and cheating people by posing as bank officials and warning victims “of suspicious activity” in their accounts. The crooks, trained to speak in foreign accents, would claim to call from overseas to appear authentic.The fraud came to light after a south Mumbai resident lost Rs 1.5 crore.
The probe, which also involved Bengal Police units, has revealed the gang members would ask the victims to download an app, via which the crooks collected bank details and carried out fraudulent transactions, like shopping online and selling the items at 100% profit. The accused called themselves the ‘action fraud team’ of their bank to win the victims’ trust.
A Churchgate resident had complained to Mumbai cops on March 7 that he had been duped between Feb 29 and March 3 after he got multiple calls from a person claiming to be from a private bank. Using his details, the accused made high-end purchases worth Rs 1.5 crore from e-marts and ensured the goods were sent to various locations in Kolkata and collected them at public spots. When a cop team from Mumbai reached Kolkata, they found the accused had fled. With help from local cops, the seven accused were traced to Siliguri and brought to the city. An officer said they had managed to recover items worth Rs 60 lakh out of the Rs 1.5 crore.