Digital arrest: 2 held from Mysuru for defrauding Rajarhat resident of Rs 1.47 cr
The Statesman | 26 November 2025
In a major breakthrough against the rising menace of “digital arrest” cases, the Bidhannagar Commissionerate has arrested two persons from Karnataka for allegedly extorting nearly Rs 1.47 crore from a Rajarhat resident after posing as police officials and threatening him with false criminal charges.
The accused — Naveen R. (35) and Indradhanush J. (33), both residents of Narasimha Raja Mohalla in Mysuru — were picked up by a special team of the Narayanpur police this week following an intensive probe. The duo was produced before a local court in Mysuru and brought to Kolkata on a five-day transit remand. They were subsequently produced before the Barrackpore court, which remanded them in 10 days’ police custody.
According to the police, the complainant, Sunit Kumar Roy of Sikhher Bagan in Rajarhat, received a phone call on 8 September from a man claiming to be a police officer. The caller accused him of sending “objectionable messages” to an individual and informed him that a case of human trafficking had been registered in his name. Moments later, Roy was connected to a video call where the fraudsters showed him a fabricated courtroom set-up and individuals dressed as law-enforcement officers, escalating the psychological pressure. Terrified by the threats of imminent arrest, Roy allegedly transferred Rs 1,04,70,000 in multiple instalments between 9-24 September to various bank accounts as directed by the accused. When the demands continued, he realised he had been duped and lodged a written complaint at Narayanpur police station.
Investigators tracked the money trail and mobile numbers to Mysuru, leading to the arrests. “We are examining whether a larger interstate network is operating behind this module, and where the siphoned money has been routed,” a senior Bidhannagar police officer said on condition of anonymity. “Digital arrest scams typically involve three stages— intimidation, creation of a fake official environment, and finally extorting money under the pretext of settling the case.” Police officials reiterated that no government agency conducts arrests over phone or video calls, urging citizens to immediately contact their local police station if they receive such suspicious calls. Investigations are on.