The Cooch Behar police arrested Shubhajit Ballav and his wife Riya Haldar Ballav, accused of defrauding over 900 victims across several Indian states, including West Bengal. The couple was caught at a hotel in Darbhanga, Bihar, after repeatedly cheating people using a sophisticated impersonation scam near Border Security Force (BSF) outposts.
According to Cooch Behar District Superintendent of Police Duteeman Bhattacharya, the couple targeted people at Customer Service Points (CSP) near BSF Border Outposts (BOP). They would call victims from unknown numbers, posing as BSF officers, company commanders, or inspectors, promising commission or cash returns for transferring money. Victims later discovered these officials did not exist.
This was not their first arrest; the couple had previously been arrested by Jangipur Police in Murshidabad but resumed their fraudulent activities after being granted bail.
The police investigation revealed a massive crime network with the couple’s mobile number linked to 877 FIRs in 2024 and 68 cases in 2025, including 19 cases filed in Cooch Behar alone. In 2025, they allegedly cheated people out of Rs 48.15 lakh.
Their criminal record spans multiple states, with 183 cases in Uttar Pradesh, 107 in Rajasthan, 77 in Telangana, 60 in Maharashtra, 55 in Delhi, 54 in Bihar, 49 in Tamil Nadu, and 43 in West Bengal, alongside 258 cases across various Union Territories.
The couple was brought to Cooch Behar on transit remand for further legal proceedings.
