Former Bengal Santosh Trophy player Arjun Chattopadhyay arrested for Kolkata robbery
Times of India | 16 July 2026
Kolkata: The Rs 2 crore heist at Pratapaditya Road earlier thais month was not a one-off case of fake cops carrying out a fake raid at a south Kolkata firm and robbing them of crores. A similar incident was reported from Lake Avenue on June 10, where a forex company was raided by 11 fake cops, with the accused even carrying out fake arrests before decamping with Rs 1 crore worth of cash and valuables.
The police have now arrested a former Bengal Santosh Trophy player for allegedly leading the June robbery. In all, 13 people have been arrested in connection with both incidents so far and cops are ascertaining if both were planned by the same gang.
At the centre of the probe is Arjun Chattopadhyay — a former footballer who once represented Bengal in the 2013 Santosh Trophy and played for big clubs, like Mohun Bagan and United SC — who allegedly left the field, formed a gang, and turned into a gangster.
The Tollygunge resident has been accused of posing as a senior police officer to execute a brazen robbery, assault, and kidnapping at a private office. Lalbazar detectives have arrested Chattopadhyay along with 10 members of his gang.
According to Lalbazar sources, the incident took place on the night of June 9. Around 10 pm, the gang stormed the forex office on Lake Avenue. One of the office employees, Shibramkrishnan, told investigators the group aggressively introduced themselves as cops from the KP headquarters, claimed that illegal activities were being conducted on the premises, and that they were there to execute an official search warrant.
When the employees asked the group to produce valid identity cards and search documents, the impostors instantly turned violent and assaulted Shibramkrishnan and his colleagues Jessica Joseph, Rony King, and Augustine Paul.
During the confrontation, Jessica objected to the late-night action, pointing out that female employees cannot be legally arrested after sunset without a proper court warrant and the presence of a female constable. The impostors allegedly brushed aside her protests, claiming that given the severe nature of the case, women could be arrested at night. The gang then looted laptops, mobile phones, routers, gold ornaments, and Rs 72,000 in cash. The total value of the stolen cash and valuables is estimated to be close to Rs 1 crore.
The gang then forced the five employees into three separate vehicles and abducted them. While driving around various locations, the criminals demanded a heavy ransom of Rs 30 lakh from the complainant for their release. Inside one of the vehicles, the accused also outraged the modesty of Jessica, misbehaved with her, and threatened everyone with dire consequences.
When the victims failed to arrange the money and made a hue and cry, the gang began panicking. Shibramkrishnan was dumped in front of Sishumangal Hospital around 1.30 am on June 10 while the others were deserted at different locations.
During the investigation, Tollygunge police and Lalbazar detectives analysed CCTV footage from the office area, which identified Chattopadhyay. During interrogation, the former sportsman confessed that after leaving football, he became heavily addicted to drugs and desperately needed money. He admitted to forming the gang and targeting the forex office to gain criminal experience.
Meanwhile, defense lawyer Shankhajit Lal Mitra, representing one of the 11 accused (Manish Babu Shaw) claimed the allegations were false and that there was no evidence linking his client to the crime. “There is no recovery from Shaw. There is severe lacuna in the investigation and they have falsely implicated my client in the matter, “ Mitra said.