In a major breakthrough against an international fraud racket, Kolkata Police arrested Mohammad Aftab, a resident of Tiljala in South Kolkata, for allegedly defrauding multiple US citizens through online scams. The arrest was made on Thursday night following information received by the Kolkata police from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
According to police sources, Aftab and his associates operated from Tiljala, posing as representatives of technical support services to target unsuspecting individuals in the United States.
“The group allegedly gained remote access to victims’ computers and mobile devices under false pretences, installed fake software, and siphoned off money from their bank accounts,” said an officer of Kolkata police.
The fraud came to light after several complaints were lodged in the US, prompting the FBI to initiate a probe. “As multiple victims reported similar scams, the FBI traced the source to India and contacted the Kolkata Police, leading to a coordinated investigation,” said the officer.
With the joint technical assistance of both agencies, the accused’s location was tracked to Tiljala. Acting swiftly, the Cyber Cell of Kolkata Police’s Detective Department raided the site and arrested Aftab.
“During the operation, we seized several laptops, mobile phones, and sensitive personal data of U.S. citizens from his possession. Preliminary investigation revealed that Aftab had been running this racket for a long time, defrauding several individuals overseas,” the officer added.
Detective Chief Rupesh Kumar confirmed the arrest, stating, “We are investigating the case and trying to ascertain whether the accused duped any victim living in India.”
Sources at Lalbazar added that the network of this cybercrime gang could extend to multiple countries, with several others possibly involved. Investigators are now interrogating Aftab to uncover the broader network and determine whether the fraud ring has international collaborators.
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