A man and 16 women were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly operating a fake call centre at Minto Park, through which they reportedly cheated Indian and Bangladeshi nationals with false promises of marriage.
Police said they had received information that several men — both Indian and Bangladeshi — had been duped by women who convinced them to transfer money into designated bank accounts in exchange for promises of marriage or companionship.
Acting on the tip-off, a team from the cyber police station of Kolkata Police raided the premises and arrested 17 people.
“The group cheated several individuals by luring them with false promises of marriage and sexual favours. They would send fake payment receipts and transaction confirmations to appear credible,” said an officer. “They also used fabricated documents and electronic records to further the scam.”
Investigators said the accused ran a so-called “friendship club”, through which they offered companionship in exchange for hefty payments. “The men believed the women on the other end of the phone were genuinely interested and might eventually marry them. Over time, the men were persuaded to transfer large sums of money,” said the officer.
The arrested women are aged between 19 and 33 and hail from various parts of the city, including Tangra, Behala, Salt Lake, Narendrapur, Howrah, Beleghata, and Netajinagar, said the police.
Senior officers said they were probing who was running the operation and who employed them.
The 17 have been charged under sections of cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, and criminal conspiracy, along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
The police are tracing the flow of funds to determine whether the money ended up in specific accounts and who withdrew it.
Sources said many such scams go unreported due to victims feeling too embarrassed to come forward. Senior officers urged the public to report such crimes immediately.