The Barrackpore Cyber Crime Police, in collaboration with the Siliguri Police and CID, have apprehended five individuals involved in a cyber fraud network. The accused—Riju Roy, Partha Mondal, Shubham Barik, Somnath Tarafdar, and Sandeep Dey—were arrested during a raid at a residence near the Eastern Bypass in Siliguri.
Authorities seized critical evidence, including mobile phones, ATM cards, and bank passbooks, all linked to the scam, which amounted to Rs 5.5 crore. According to the police, the gang targeted poor, uneducated individuals, offering them between Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per month in exchange for using their bank accounts to facilitate fraudulent transactions.
These rented accounts were exploited for various types of cyber crimes, including scams where fraudsters lured victims with fake stock exchange investments. Kolkata Police’s detective department is working on establishing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to combat the operation of mule accounts for cyber fraud, with plans to adopt strong financial penalties for those involved. A joint commissioner from Lalbazar emphasized the urgency of cracking down on such frauds with decisive actions.
