Huge Recovery Made in Fake Website Case of PMAY

A team of officers of Crime Branch led by ACP KPS Malhotra, and consisting of Inspr Kulbir Singh, SIs Ritesh Kumar, Mandeep, Vishal Choudhary, Kuldeep, ASI Manoj, HCs Jai Parkash, Satish, Dinesh, Cts Lalaram, Vivek Tomar, Shailender, Ravi, Jitender and Sachin under the close supervision of DCP Bhisham Singh and overall guidance of Addl.CP Ashok Chand, had arrested Sudipto Chatterjee and Snehangshu Jana in fake PMAY website case.

Further meticulous investigation led to working out of a sensational and highlighted case of cheating in which Sudipta Chatterjee had cheated a businessman of Rs.3.20 crore by posing himself as an IAS officer in PSEB (Public State Enterprises Board). A case vide FIR No. 5/13 PS CID, Assam, Guwahati was already registered in this regard and huge recovery has been effected in this case.

In the PMAY case, Sudipta Chatterjee was taken on police remand and subjected to intensive and scientific interrogation. Search was conducted at Kolkata for affecting recovery of the relevant documents/IT gadgets in PMAY case. It was noted that there were few documents, pertaining to a Hospital project loan and jewellry in his premises which revealed his involvement in some other cases also. The documents were scrutinized and it appeared that someone from Assam has also been cheated by the scamster. On this, Assam Police was contacted to get the relevant details.

BRIEF FACTS:-

Assam police intimated that one businessman was cheated by a person impersonating as K.M. Acharya, a senior IAS officer and a case vide FIR No. 5/13 u/s 420/409/468/471 IPC r/w 66 C/D IT Act PS-CID, Guwahati was registered in this regard. The complainant of the case had received an SMS in the month of January 2012. He expressed his eagerness by responding to the message and received a login-id and instruction to a surf website having URL www.gov4developement.co.in. He was further instructed to submit a detailed project report on Sarkar.govindia.bharat895@gmail.com.

Thereafter, he received a telephonic call in the month of March 2012 from a lady who counselled him and even made him talk to the person posing as K.M. Acharya, IAS. He submitted a detailed project report as instructed to him and received an interview call.  In the month of August 2012, the complainant went to Howrah and handed over costly gift items, signed cheque books, ATM card alongwith his mobile handset to a person who posed himself as a junior officer, sent by K.M. Acharya. After winning over confidence of the victim, he was further induced to deposit Rs 3 crore in his bank account as a security amount for a loan amount of Rs 30 crore. The same were withdrawn by the accused through 13 different cheques. The complainant had even handed over a cash of Rs 16 lac to one lady in the month of December 2012 at a famous shopping mall in Howrah alongwith an Iphone 4S mobile phone. In one of his accounts, he had cash Rs. 4 lac, which was also withdrawn fraudulently. In January 2013, he came to realise that he was taken for a ride by few fraudsters as he had received a message from the person posing as K M Acharya that he had left India. On this, he approached Assam Police and got the case of cheating registered.

        Sudipta Chatterjee was thoroughly interrogated in this case, who confessed his involvement. He was the mastermind of this cheating of 3.20 crore and from the proceeds of this cheating, he had bought two flats and jewelry worth Rs 1.5 crore.

MODUS OPERANDI:-

        Sudipta Chatterjee disclosed that he used to buy data regarding prospective candidates having details of credit card and subscriber details of different service providers. The same has been recovered from his possession. Through this segregated data, he used to target the prospective clients through the tele-callers employed by him. Once, the prospective client could clear different tiers of evaluation, then he would come in picture and telephonically talk to the aspirant and convince him to make things more real. He had forged the documents of RBI, UNO and other government offices so that whenever, his representatives met the prospective client, they could prove their identity as real. Once the prospective client came to Kolkata, his cheque books, ATM card were taken in their possession, to withdraw the money from his account fraudulently.  

        It is worthwhile to mention that he had himself never met the complainant in person in this case and once the case was registered and Assam Police was looking for his hideout, he had even challenged the victim that he can never be tracked.

RECOVERY:-

·         Gold jewellery around 500 gm.

·         Documents related to the purchase of two flats worth Rs.1 crore at Kashinath Lane, Howrah, which were purchased by the accused from the cheated amount.

·         The process file of the victim for hospital project loan.

·         Total 55 signed cheque books and ATM cards along with PIN and 64 mobile Phones.

·         Bills related to the purchase of jewellery worth Rs. 1.5 crore approximately.

·         Bunches of the visiting cards, relating to Govt. officers, with National emblem embossed on them.

·         Duplicate certificates of UNO and RBI on their letter heads.

ID cards of RBI in different names.