Achintya Banerjee, 62, attempted suicide on Monday morning after being duped of his house and money by a real estate promoter.

“Banerjee jumped into the Hooghly from Bally Bridge, near Dunlop, but was rescued by three boatmen,” said Praveen Kumar, superintendent of police (North 24-Parganas).

“We learnt that a local promoter, on the pretext of turning his house into an apartment block, had allegedly cheated Banerjee of all his savings and his house. After being harassed for a year, and with no resources to support his family, the man attempted suicide,” Kumar added.

Banerjee had left his house two days ago. His family members had lodged a missing diary with Bally police station, in Howrah.

According to the police, a boatman saw him jumping off the bridge around 11 am. “He raised an alarm and two other boatmen dived in to rescue him. As Banerjee had lost consciousness, he was taken to a local health centre, and later brought to Belghoria police station for interrogation,” said a police officer.

Banerjee, the sole earning member of his family, used to work in a private firm, and does not have a pension to draw. He lives with his wife, son and daughter in the Belurbazar area of Howrah.

“He claimed that a local promoter had proposed to build a highrise on his Bally house and allot him an apartment in it. The promoter asked Banerjee to make an advance payment of Rs 4.5 lakh to speed up the process,” said an officer of Belghoria police station.

Banerjee paid the money from his retirement benefits. The family shifted to a rented house, as the promoter pulled down a portion of his house. But the promoter eluded delivery of the flat or the payment for the Banerjees’ alternative accommodation.

This went on for a year, till Banerjee ran out of resources to run his family of four and decided to commit suicide out of desperation, said the police.

“We rescued Banerjee and handed him over to his relatives. But his allegations will be investigated by Bally police, according to proper jurisdiction,” said the officer of Belghoria police station.