Woman, kin sell off assets, take loan to pay 2 cr to cyber frauds in Kolkata
Times of India | 12 May 2025
Kolkata: Family members of 33-year-old Paulomi Biswas from Baguiati, who lost nearly Rs 2 crore in a "digital arrest" fraud spanning over two months between Dec and Jan, are hoping for recovery of their life savings.Her family had sold off valuable assets and took heavy bank loans to meet the repeated extortion demands by the fraudsters. The fraudsters had promised that the money would be returned once her innocence was proven.One of the main accused was arrested by the Bidhannagar Cyber Crime team from Alwar in Rajasthan. The accused, Umesh Mina, was brought to Kolkata on transit remand. He is in police custody. Cops are likely to make more arrests.Last year, Biswas received a call from a woman posing as a courier employee. The caller claimed that a suspicious parcel addressed in her name, containing illegal items including banned drugs had been intercepted. Soon after, she was contacted via WhatsApp video calls by individuals impersonating Mumbai Police and CBI officers. While one identified himself as Shaheen Ahmed Khan from Mumbai Police, another claimed to be CBI officer Rajesh Pradhan. Threatening the woman of public humiliation, the fraudsters forced her into ‘digital arrest' and coerced her family into transferring nearly Rs 2 crore over several weeks. When Biswas realised she was conned, she lodged an FIR on Feb 15.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Mother's Day wishes, messages, and quotes !