Calcutta, Aug. 7: Rattled by the spurt in economic offences that has the city’s middle-class reeling, Calcutta Police have decided to go hi-tech along the lines of their Mumbai and Delhi counterparts.

The post of deputy commissioner (detective department II) has been scrapped and replaced with a deputy commissioner of police who will exclusively handle economic offences.

The move, which follows a special circular issued by Calcutta police chief Sujoy Chakrabarty yesterday, aims to bring different detective department wings dealing with economic offences, including the special cell, anti-fraud, anti-cheating and note forgery sections, under one umbrella.

“We have been noticing with concern the rise in crime related to economic offences. Several non-existent or bogus companies are luring the lower- and middle-class with high returns from small investments and complaints are pouring in from all corners. The move is aimed at tackling such offences…” said Chakrabarty.

With the police brass groping for ideas, the post of DC (DD-II) — which was set up with a view to lighten the city detective chief’s burden — was left vacant for some time. The new post was created after a number of ISI operatives — engaged in slipping in millions of fake notes from Bangladesh via Calcutta —were arrested. There was a sudden increase in complaints about the functioning of non-banking financial companies.

“Complaints about the (non-banking financial companies) coupled with those about bank frauds prompted us to do some serious thinking. People were being robbed of almost everything, including their deeds, by a section of these operators. The amount involved in these cases is far more than a few robberies or snatching clubbed together. And then, there is the problem of fake notes, stamps and postal instruments in circulation,” the police chief said.