Int’l scam exploits Pahalgam attack to dupe Jalpaiguri trader of Rs 15 lakh
Times of India | 1 August 2025
Kolkata: Less than 72 hours after the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir, scamsters extorted Rs 15 lakh from a Jalpaiguri businessman by impersonating officers of the Maharashtra crime branch and accusing him of allowing terrorists to use a SIM card registered in his name. Cyber police in Jalpaiguri have since recovered Rs 12 lakh of the defrauded amount. The entire operation was found to have been orchestrated from a town in Cambodia.
Jhantu Basu, a resident of Senpara in Jalpaiguri and a trader dealing in jute and tobacco, was subjected to a week-long "digital arrest" by the fraudsters. Posing as officers investigating the Pahalgam attack that took place in April 22, the callers contacted Basu on April 25 and claimed that a SIM card in his name had been used by one of the terrorists involved. The caller warned him not to disclose the matter to anyone and declared that he was under "digital arrest". Over the following days, a group of fraudsters posing as multiple officials grilled him relentlessly over video calls, pressuring him psychologically. Eventually, they demanded a large sum as a form of "surety" for bail. In a bid to protect himself, Basu transferred Rs 15 lakh to a designated bank account.
The harassment did not end there. The scammers continued to pressure him to sell his house and pay even more money. However, the spell seemed to break around May 7, when India launched Operation Sindoor. The very next day, Basu summoned the courage to approach Jalpaiguri cyber police.
Jalpaiguri SP Umesh Ganpat stated that an immediate investigation was launched upon receiving the complaint. Preliminary findings revealed that the entire racket was run from Cambodia, while a bank account in Rajasthan was used to receive the funds. Police successfully recovered Rs 12 lakh of the extorted sum. On Thursday — two and a half months later — SP Ganpat officially handed over the recovered amount to Basu.