Lalbazar: The data stolen from ATM cards skimmed in Calcutta was cloned into blank cards in Nepal, police said.

Romanian Voico Aurel, alias Nana, the suspected mastermind of the racket, was directly involved in the cloning process, sources said.

Nana and two other Romanians - Adre Liviu, 28, and Cornel Constantine, 25 - who were arrested on Thursday, were brought to Calcutta and produced in court on Friday before being remanded in police custody till August 24.

Two of the trio - Nana and Adre Liviu - had look-out notices issued for them by Calcutta police.

"We suspect that the cloning was done in Nepal. We are probing the matter for further details," said an officer in Lalbazar.

Calcutta police have contacted the Romanian consulate through the foreigner regional registration office and sought details of all Romanians who entered Calcutta between March 3 and May 7 - the period when most of the skimmers are suspected to have been installed in the city ATMs.

Investigators have learned that Adre Liviu came to Calcutta between April and May and stayed in a star-hotel in south Calcutta for 15 days.

"We are trying to zero in on the cloning den in Nepal," the officer said.

One member of the gang is yet to be arrested.