Cyber crime investigators have arrested three suspects in connection with two major online fraud cases, exposing an inter-state racket operating across Kolkata, Manimajra (Chandigarh), and other regions. The combined financial loss to the victims stands at Rs36.2 lakh.
The first case was filed by Shukla Mahajan, a resident of Sector 39-B, who received several OTP alerts on February 28 indicating unauthorized withdrawals from her IndusInd Bank account. Investigators discovered that Rs2 lakh had been fraudulently transferred to an ICICI Bank account held by Waris Ali (29) from Alipore, Kolkata.
A police team, after tracing call records and examining KYC details, conducted a raid in Kolkata on July 10 and arrested Waris Ali. He later confessed to opening the bank account on the instruction of an unknown individual and handing over his ATM card and documents in exchange for Rs20,000 commission.
The second case involved Dr. Chhitranjan Singh Brar, also from Sector 39-B, who fell victim to a phishing scam carried out by individuals posing as RBI officials. The fraudsters convinced him they could help with early maturity of insurance policies and offer a 20% bonus. Over time, he was tricked into transferring Rs34.2 lakh to multiple accounts.
The investigation led officers to Odisha and Jharkhand, eventually resulting in the arrest of Afzal Hussain (31) from Manimajra.
The third suspect’s identity is yet to be publicly disclosed as the probe continues. Cyber police are expanding their investigation to trace the full extent of the network, which is believed to be linked to multiple cases nationwide.
Authorities urge citizens to be vigilant about suspicious calls and OTP activity and to never share banking details or personal documents with unverified sources.
