Fraud to the tune of 14 lakh busted in Kolkata, 5 arrested

In a major breakthrough, Kolkata Police have arrested five individuals in connection with a Rs 14 lakh bank fraud involving unauthorized transactions from a company's account at Kotak Mahindra Bank. The arrests took place over two days, with the key conspirators being apprehended from the Kestopur and New Town areas of Kolkata. The accused allegedly transferred Rs 14,08,053 to multiple bank accounts using fraudulent means, causing significant financial loss to the complainant's company.

The case was first reported on June 5, 2024, after Jain, the complainant, discovered unauthorized transactions from his company’s bank account. According to the investigation, the accused used RTGS and IMPS methods to transfer the funds into accounts held at Axis Bank, Canara Bank, DBS Bank, Federal Bank, and IndusInd Bank. The complainant did not receive any OTP or notification for these transactions, which raised suspicions of a well-planned cybercrime operation.

The investigation led to the discovery that part of the stolen funds had been deposited into a Federal Bank account in Durgapur, which was registered under the name Md. Shahid. When interrogated, Shahid revealed that he had opened the account under the direction of two individuals, Abhishek Shaw and Abhijeet Prasad, both of whom have now been arrested as the masterminds behind the operation.

During a raid conducted on October 22 and 23, 2024, five suspects were arrested. Abhishek Shaw, the mastermind, was nabbed from Kestopur, and several documents related to bank accounts were recovered from his possession. Shaw, along with his accomplice Abhijeet Prasad, allegedly manipulated others to open accounts and then used these accounts to transfer the stolen money.

Shabbir Alam and Roopesh Kumar, both arrested from Kestopur, were key players in arranging fake bank accounts for the scam. These accounts were used to launder the stolen funds, and several bank kits were seized from their possession. Another accomplice, Amrit Chatterjee, was arrested in New Town and was similarly involved in securing fraudulent accounts for the operation.

So far, Rs 7.50 lakh of the defrauded amount has been recovered or blocked and returned to the victim’s company. The investigation is ongoing, and further arrests are expected as authorities continue to trace the remaining funds and other individuals involved in the conspiracy.