A 74-year-old retired central government officer from Rajarhat was digitally “arrested” and held captive for nearly three weeks by cyber fraudsters who convinced him that he was wanted in a human trafficking case, before duping him out of ₹1.04 crore.

Sunith Kumar Ray, a resident of a gated community in East Beraberi on SRCM
Road under Narayanpur police station, received a call on September 8 from someone claiming to be a Bengaluru Police officer.

The caller alleged that a mobile number registered in Ray’s name was being used to send illegal advertisements and harassing messages.

Ray denied any such connection, after which the call was transferred to a so-
called “crime branch”. He was then falsely informed that he was a suspect in a human trafficking case and that an arrest warrant had been issued against him by the Supreme Court.

“The complainant was made to believe he was wanted in a human trafficking case. He was sent a fake court document resembling an arrest warrant issued against him by the Supreme Court,” said an officer of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate on Wednesday.

Ray was told he would be arrested within two hours unless he opted for a “priority investigation”. Fearing arrest, he agreed to cooperate with the scammers.

The following day, he was instructed to visit a star hotel in New Town with his identity documents to meet a “police team”. No one showed up, but Ray received a video call from a man posing as a police officer, who questioned him and demanded ₹1.2 lakh, the police said.

Over the next few days, the fraudsters extracted ₹1.04 crore from Ray, promising that the amount would be refunded by the Reserve Bank of India within three days.

When no refund came and he realised he had been duped, Ray reported the matter to Narayanpur police station on Monday.

Ironically, police sources said that a cyber awareness camp had recently been held in Ray’s housing complex by Bidhannagar police, aimed at educating residents — especially the elderly — about digital fraud.

Senior police officers said immediate steps were taken to block further transactions and recover the stolen money.

“We have managed to freeze ₹10 lakh. Efforts are underway to recover the amount,” said Manav Singla, deputy commissioner (New Town), Bidhannagar police.

The police are currently trying to identify those behind the scam. As of Wednesday evening, no arrests had been made.