Cyber fraud racket busted, 4 held :76-year-old US citizen lost Rs 71 lakh to cyber fraud

Duped by more than two fraudsters on the pretext of selling computer software and providing technical support.

MP  |  16 Feb 2023  |   Kolkata  :  Police busted a racket of cyber fraudsters and nabbed four accused for duping several US citizens by fooling them on the pretext of selling computer software. 

The kingpin of the racket was arrested from Pune recently by the cyber cell of the Kolkata Police. 

According to police, the incidents of US citizens came to light after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informed Kolkata Police about two months ago. The FBI had informed that sometime between April and June, four US citizens were duped by more than two fraudsters on the pretext of selling computer software and providing technical support. 

In all the cases, the caller introduced himself as ‘David’ and also used the same phone number. 

A spoofing application styled ‘Text Now’ was used. Based on the information provided by the FBI, a case was registered and a probe was initiated. The first arrest was made on January 3 this year, when police picked up a man identified as Shizan Ali Haider from the city. Police picked up the second fraudster identified as Md Atif on January 18, based on the statement of Haider. 

While interrogating them, cops came to know that Shizan’s elder brother, Subtain Ali Haider, played a major role in the fraudulent activities and fled. 

Meanwhile, police tracked the Internet Protocol (IP) address from which the fraudsters sent emails. By checking the IP address, police found a mobile number that was linked to two email addresses provided by the FBI. 

During the probe, police traced the mobile tower location of the said mobile number being used by Subtain and found that he was residing in Delhi. When a police team from Kolkata was about to leave for Delhi, it was found that Subtain had reached Ajmer. 

Kolkata Police got in touch with the Ajmer Police and requested them to keep a tab on the four accused. However, due to some issues, the Ajmer Police failed to locate Subtain but assisted the Kolkata Police team when they reached to trace him. 

On January 22, Subtain was spotted at a restaurant and was nabbed. After interrogating him, on the night of February 10, police also nabbed the kingpin of the racket. He has been identified as Syed Tarique Kalam from the Warje Malwadi area. His SIM card along with other objects has been seized for cheating. 

 https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/cyber-fraud-racket-busted-4-held-508872

TOI: The cyber cell of Kolkata Police has arrested Syed Tarique Kalam, a mastermind of the Kolkata-based gang targeting senior citizens in California and New York , from Pune.

The arrest came barely four days after a magistrate in the city recorded the statement of a 76-year-old US citizen who had lost Rs 71 lakh to cyber fraud. So far, four persons have been nabbed in connection with this fraud.

Cops said the members of the gang had moved to different parts of the country to “spread business” and “escape detection by law agencies.” “We came to know that Kalam, a resident of Ostagar Lane in Kolkata, was staying at an apartment in the Malwadi area of Pune. He was arrested this weekend and some devices, including SIM cards, were seized from him,” said DC (cyber), Atul Viswanathan.

The office of the Legal Attaché (FBI) in India had helped the Cyber Police Station in Kolkata coordinate with the US citizen for recording her statement on the fraud. One more US citizen was reportedly duped by the gang"/>