Kolkata: A woman from Anandapur and another one from New Town were duped of Rs 31 lakh after they were lured into investing in a fake loan scheme and an investment platform.
The Anandapur woman, living in a condo, was swindled of Rs 16.2 lakh. In Oct 2025, she received a call, offering a business loan under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana. The accused, posing as executives of a finance firm, offered her a loan of Rs 10.9 lakh at a 6.5% interest rate. Between Nov 2025 and early 2026, the scammers forced the victim to pay multiple "charges". It was in March that she realised she was being cheated when the fraudsters deactivated their numbers.
The second victim, a 62-year-old woman from New Town who lost Rs 15 lakh, was approached by two men, claiming to be fund managers in March. They persuaded her to invest in a platform, ‘BXB Market', promising high returns. The fraud came to light when she tried to withdraw her "profits", only to find the platform inaccessible and the "managers" gone.