Bengal CID unearths Pakistan-based racket of cheating people in India, two held

The West Bengal CID has unearthed a Pakistan-based racket of cheating gullible people in India in the name of lottery prizes, and arrested two top officials of a beverage company here for their involvement as agents of the racketeers, an official said here on Sunday. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) official said the matter came to light after the probe agency lodged a suo motu case in Egra Police Station of East Midnapore district on January 13.

"The allegations in FIR are that certain Pakistan based racketeers are cheating gullible people in West Bengal and other places in India in the name of lottery prizes. "People are informed by numbers starting with +92/ 0092 through phone/ WhatsApp by racketeers that they have won huge amounts in lottery prizes which would be given on payment of "processing fees'.

"Once these fees are deposited in bank accounts, the same is quickly withdrawn by agents of racketeers in India and later sent abroad through various hawala channels and exports, etc.," the official said. During the probe, role of some officials of Kolkata-headquartered Pran Beverages (India) Pvt Ltd in receiving and transferring funds abroad through various means surfaced.

On Friday, CID officials arrested two officials of the company Rajesh Ghosh and Bidhan Kirtaniya for their alleged involvement in the case. While 44-year-old Ghosh is a Director, Kirtaniya (38) is the Manager, Sales Administration of the company.

They have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act related to offences of cheating, receiving and concealing stolen property. The two were produced before the Contai court which sent them to police custody.

Searches have also been conducted in the residential premises of the accused and the company's head office at Chinar Park, New Town and several incriminating documents seized.