Two New Town residents duped of 21.4L in online scams
Times of India | 27 December 2025
Kolkata: A 34-year-old woman from New Town Rajarhat, Sumitra Singh, fell victim to an online investment scam and lost Rs 19.4 lakh.
Singh, originally hailing from Coochbehar, lodged a complaint at the Bidhannagar Cyber Crime Police Station on Wednesday. She alleged that she was contacted via WhatsApp on Dec 1 by a woman identifying herself as Megha Choudhury. Claiming to be associated with a top bank, the caller persuaded Singh to invest in the share market with promises of high returns.
Between Dec 7 and Dec 16, Singh made ten separate transactions amounting to Rs 19.4 lakh. However, she did not receive any profit, nor was her investment returned. Realising that she was cheated, Singh reported the matter on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal before going to the police station.
Based on her complaint, cops registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS Act. "Time and again we have urged the public to exercise caution while dealing with unsolicited investment offers online. Such scams often involve impersonation of legitimate financial institutions to lure victims with promises of high returns," a senior officer of Bidhannagar city police said, stressing the importance of verifying credentials and reporting suspicious transactions immediately.
Cops said they are trying to freeze the bank accounts where the money was transferred and that efforts are being made to trace the criminals and recover the defrauded amount.
In another case, a resident of a highrise complex in Rajarhat fell victim to cyber fraud in which he lost Rs 2 lakh. According to the complaint filed at Narayanpur Police Station on Wednesday, the fraudsters impersonated staff from a nationalised bank and coaxed the victim, Bodhisattva Banerjee into sharing his card and account details under the pretext of assisting him with a bank app. Using these details, they transferred Rs 2 lakh via IMPS.