A New Town resident was allegedly cheated out of ₹3.8 lakh by fraudsters who offered him a ₹20 lakh loan and then demanded a processing fee.
Golak Mondal, the complainant, told Bidhannagar City Police that he first received a call in September from a man claiming to be an official of a non-banking financial company. The caller said Mondal was eligible for a personal loan of ₹20 lakh. Believing the claim, he agreed to proceed.
“According to his complaint, he was convinced to apply for a ₹20 lakh personal loan, after which he was asked to share his documents for processing. He said that once he submitted the documents, he began receiving calls from various mobile numbers, assuring him that the loan was close to being approved,” said an officer of Bidhannagar City Police.
A few days later, Mondal was asked to pay a “small” processing fee to finalise the disbursal. He paid ₹3.8 lakh.
Once the money was paid, the callers stopped contacting him and began ignoring his calls. Realising he had been defrauded, Mondal filed a complaint on Wednesday.
The cops said they are reviewing call logs and bank transaction details linked to the case. No arrests had been made till Thursday evening.
Police officers said this type of fraud, using fake loan offers or impersonation of financial institutions, is increasingly common. “It's a common trick to ask for money as a processing fee for a half-sanctioned loan. People should stay alert to such scams,” said an officer.