In a major breakthrough against digital arrest scams, the Bidhannagar Commissionerate has arrested two men from Karnataka for allegedly extorting Rs 1.47 crore from a Rajarhat resident.
The accused, Naveen R. (35) and Indradhanush J. (33), residents of Narasimha Raja Mohalla, Mysuru, were apprehended by a special team of Narayanpur police. They were produced in a Mysuru court and brought to Kolkata on a five-day transit remand, before being remanded to 10 days’ police custody by the Barrackpore court.
According to police, the complainant, Sunit Kumar Roy of Sikhher Bagan, received a phone call on 8 September from a man claiming to be a police officer. The caller falsely accused him of sending “objectionable messages” and claimed a human trafficking case had been filed against him. Roy was then connected to a video call showing a fake courtroom setup with actors posing as law-enforcement officials, pressuring him psychologically.
Terrified, Roy transferred Rs 1,04,70,000 in multiple instalments between 9–24 September to accounts as directed by the accused. When the demands persisted, he realized he had been scammed and lodged a complaint at Narayanpur police station.
Investigators tracked the money trail and mobile numbers to Mysuru, leading to the arrests. A senior Bidhannagar officer said, “Digital arrest scams generally follow three stages—intimidation, fake official setup, and extortion. We are investigating whether a larger interstate network is operating behind this module and tracing the siphoned funds.”
Police warned citizens that no government agency conducts arrests over phone or video calls, urging anyone receiving such calls to immediately contact their local police station. Investigations are ongoing.
