According to the FIR, victims were allegedly contacted through the platforms, persuaded with false promises, and eventually tricked into transferring large sums of money. (File photo)
Kolkata Police’s Cyber Crime Division has busted an alleged fake call centre and arrested 17 people — including 16 women — for allegedly duping victims across India and Bangladesh who used online dating and matrimony applications.
A case was lodged on Tuesday against the accused and “others” under Sections 66C (punishment for identity theft) and 66D (punishment for cheating by personation using a computer resource) of the IT Act, and under relevant Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provisions related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery.
You have exhausted your monthly limit of free stories.
Read more stories for free with an Express account.
According to the FIR, filed on the complaint of Inspector Piyali Barua of the Cyber Police Station, victims were allegedly contacted through the platforms, persuaded with false promises, and eventually tricked into transferring large sums of money.
“A particularly disturbing tactic involved exploiting vulnerabilities by making false matrimony promises and false commitments of sexual pleasures,” said an investigating officer.
The 17 who were arrested on Tuesday are aged between 19 and 35, and they hail from different parts of Kolkata and Howrah.
To gain trust, the accused allegedly relied on digital forgery, involving forged WhatsApp screenshots, fake payment receipts, fake transaction proof, and fabricated scam website pages. The accused also forged electronic records to make the call centre’s operations appear legitimate, the police said.
“Further investigation is underway to trace the financial trail of the call centre and identify any other accomplices,” said the official.
Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics.
With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences.
Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More
