Kolkata: A 70-year-old resident of Chaulpatty Road in Beleghata fell victim to a cyber-extortion racket, losing over Rs 14 lakh after fraudsters impersonating officers from Mumbai Police Crime Branch placed him under a prolonged 18-day-long “digital arrest”, claiming his money was used for terror activities in PoK .
The scammers coerced him into transferring Rs 14,00,094 under the pretext of legal fees required to clear his name from fictitious terror-funding and money-laundering charges. The ordeal began on Sept 5, when the elderly citizen received a video call on WhatsApp from an individual dressed in a Mumbai Police uniform in the afternoon. The caller alleged that the resident’s mobile number and bank account had surfaced in financial fraud cases across the country, claiming his phone number was linked to 37 distinct cybercrime investigations. The case has been booked under Sections 318(4) cheating, 319(2) cheating by personation, and 308(2) extortion of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against unknown suspects operating from a WhatsApp number.
Realising he had been duped, the victim reported the incident to the authorities. Lalbazar officials confirmed that officers from Beleghata police station alongside Cyber Cell of East Suburban Division have launched a joint investigation into the matter.
The victim was kept under virtual “detention” at his home between Sept 5 and Sept 23, according to police sources. The perpetrators ceased all communication immediately after the funds were successfully transferred. Beleghata Police Station subsequently registered an official FIR based on the formal complaint, and a Zero FIR was received via State Crime Records Bureau. Detectives are currently analysing transaction details and technical logs to identify the bank accounts used to siphon off the money and trace the origin of the fraudulent WhatsApp call.
The fraudsters claimed that his bank account had been utilised as a mule account to route illicit funds to the militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba between 2020 and 2026; the funds were traced to PoK. Under intense psychological pressure, the victim issued two separate bank cheques totalling Rs 14,00,094.40 to account details provided by the caller.
To intimidate the victim, the extortionists produced fabricated legal documents, forged call detail records, and fake “money trail” papers sent over WhatsApp. The fraudster instructed him to pay for “legal expenses” to secure an official release and avoid physical arrest. They asserted that these transactions were conducted through indirect channels involving shell companies in Malaysia and Thailand. Frightened by the forged evidence and threat of immediate incarceration, the elderly resident complied with the caller’s demands.