Kolkata, 13 August (H.S.): The police have busted an alleged organised cyber-fraud network operating from a hotel in the New Market area of Kolkata and arrested 11 people in connection with the case.

According to police sources, the accused had allegedly set up a fake call centre and posed as government officials to target unsuspecting citizens. Eight of those arrested are residents of Jamui district in Bihar, while the remaining three are from Deoghar in neighbouring Jharkhand. The accused had reportedly travelled to Kolkata from Bihar and Jharkhand to operate the alleged fraud network.

The police suspect that the group used fake schemes modelled on the PM-Kisan Yojana to establish contact with members of the public. The alleged fraudsters would send links to potential victims through Telegram and attempt to gain access to their mobile devices by persuading them to click on the links.

Once a victim clicked on the link, the accused allegedly attempted to take control of the mobile phone and subsequently obtain sensitive personal information, including Aadhaar-related details, through various means.

Acting on information about the alleged network, personnel of the Park Street Police Station conducted a raid at a hotel in the New Market area and arrested all 11 suspects. The arrested individuals are reportedly aged between 18 and 34 years.

The police have registered a case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 111(2)(b) relating to organised crime, Section 111(6) concerning possession of property acquired through organised crime, and Section 318(4) relating to cheating, among other provisions.

Investigators are now probing the alleged network to determine whether more people were involved in the operation and to ascertain the extent of the fraud.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey