The Kolkata Police dismantled a gang that was defrauding Australian citizens. At the home of Pratikant Singh, the racket’s mastermind, fifteen people have been arrested.
The accused pretended to be officials of Telstra Corporation Limited, called the victims via VOIP, and persuaded them to pay by threatening to disconnect their internet services if they didn’t.
The accused were taken into custody in Salt Lake and New Alipore. ‘We came to know that Pratikant Singh used to control the cyber crime that was being run in the New Alipore area. Proof of his deep involvement came to the fore in the retrieved WhatsApp chats of at least two accused who were arrested from the New Alipore call centre. These accused are Rahul Mondal and Avishek Roy. Singh was on the run but his movements were being tracked,’ said a senior Kolkata Police official.
Singh, 29, was detained at his Behala home. He was taken into custody along with Rs 14 lakh in cash, three mobile phones, stamps, and a money counting machine.