Siliguri, 14th September: Matigara Police have arrested the alleged mastermind of an international financial fraud network reportedly being operated under the guise of a fake call centre. The arrested accused has been identified as Saikat Sinha Roy.
A special team of Matigara Police arrested Saikat from a rented house in the Sodepur area of Kolkata on Sunday and brought him to Siliguri. He was produced before a Siliguri court on Monday, where police sought 10 days of custody for further questioning.
According to police sources, Saikat was the main operator of the alleged international financial fraud network. Police and local sources said Siliguri Metropolitan Police had recently conducted an operation at Phase-II of Webel IT Park, uncovering a fake call centre and arresting nine people. Two offices were also sealed during the operation.
During interrogation of the arrested accused on remand, police reportedly learnt that Saikat, who allegedly identified himself as a company director, was controlling the entire network from Kolkata. According to police, the call centre primarily targeted foreign nationals and allegedly carried out financial fraud involving lakhs of rupees.
Police allege that Saikat stayed in Sodepur and provided the resources and instructions required to operate the fraud. He reportedly visited Siliguri from time to time and instructed employees working in Room G-14 at the IT park on their ‘speech’ and methods of handling conversations with targets.
The investigation also reportedly found that the accused frequently changed the call centre office and his rented residence at intervals to evade police attention.
Of the nine people arrested during the initial operation, seven were later granted bail, while two others were taken into five days of police custody for questioning.
According to police sources, questioning these two accused provided important information about Saikat’s whereabouts and the manner in which the alleged network was being operated. Acting on the information, the Matigara Police special team conducted an operation in Sodepur, Kolkata, and arrested Saikat.
Police are now investigating the extent of the alleged international fraud network and identifying others who may be involved.
