A man from Beleghata has been arrested for allegedly running a racket that would take pre-paid orders for gloves, sanitisers and face shields on a website and never deliver them, police said.

The website would allegedly lure customers by promising them home delivery of the products at huge discounts.

Pratik Bag was arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged with Bidhannagar North police station several days back, an officer of the Bidhannagar commissionerate said. “Two other members of the racket had been arrested earlier. Their statements led us to Bag,” the officer said.

The police said more than 100 people had been duped.

“The men had opened a website that promised to sell a variety of products considered essential amid the Covid pandemic such as gloves, masks and hand sanitisers. The site claimed that these items were on sale at a huge discount,” the officer said.

“The customers were asked to pay online through various modules, including e-wallet and Netbanking.”

To make the website seem genuine, the men had put up a cellphone number where people could call after placing orders. “As soon as one paid for the order, the men would block the number of the customer and never get in touch with him or her, let alone delivering the goods,” the officer said.

Another officer said the men had been running the racket for at least three months.

Bag has been charged under various IPC sections including 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust), among others. If convicted, he can be jailed for seven years.